Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation Force
by exaenae
Summary: Featuring a new universe and set of characters, this fanfiction is my best attempt to explain and untangle the mess that is the Draco lore, and lay it out in what is (hopefully) a fun story to read.
1. Nine

**Chapter 1 - Nine**

"I can already see her face smirking at me." - he thought to himself, rushing down the street towards the Central Arena.

"She'll probably say something about how I'm always late, then pretend to be angry at me, I'll apologize and nothing will come of it. The same thing happens when I'm late for my classes, it's practically routine at this point." - his train of thought continued, as he nearly ran into a lamp post

It was one of the hottest days of the year, as was evident by the street being almost entirely empty. Everyone was either at the Arena, watching the International Duel Championship finals, or at home, also probably watching the live broadcast that was going on. The arena was entirely sold out, filled to the brim with people wanting to see the final duel of the biggest dueling series in the world. All fifty thousand of its seats were occupied - except for one.

That seat belongs to Jonas Nielsen, a boy barely above seventeen years of age, who is supposed to be sitting in the front row, close to the action. He is the one currently sprinting towards the Arena as fast as he can, all in support of one of his closest friends - Carla Perry - who was dueling in the finals this year.

"Almost there..." - he thought to himself, as he started running even faster. Running out of breath, and barely standing, he was being pushed forward by sheer willpower.

But, as the more he approached the Arena, the more he knew something was wrong. The closer he got, the more terrified he became. The air was filled with the screams of thousands upon thousands of people.

Everyone that was seated in the Arena mere minutes ago was now rushing to the exits as fast as they could. Ignoring all common sense, Jonas pressed on towards the entrances, as he pushed his way through the masses fleeing the building. Nobody tried to stop him, as even the security guards were making a run for it.

As he entered the Arena, he realized the full scope of the situation. The entire playing field was engulfed in flames.

"What if she's in there?" - he thought, his mind immediately jumped to the stark possibility of his friend's life being in danger. Without hesitation, he started running towards the center of the field, but as the adrenaline rush slowly passed, he realized it might not be the brightest idea to run head first into searing flames.

"CARLA!" - he screamed her name a few times, each time getting no response.

At this point his mind slowly started considering the possibility that she too fled the Arena along with everyone watching, and he darted for the exits as the scorching heat was getting unbearable.

During his entire walk home, he kept telling himself that everything is fine and it was just a simple accident, but deep inside he couldn't help but be deeply concerned. Despite his worries, he slept without any problems once he got home.

The next day he woke up at ten in the morning, and thought he was going to be late for school once again, before realizing it's the summer break. Casually, and almost carelessly, he walked over to the fridge, and took the first piece of food he could find, which in this case was some pudding.

He sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV, which was tuned to the news channel his dad always watches, before realizing he didn't have anything to eat the pudding with and slowly making his way over to the kitchen.

"The local government is currently investigating the causes of what happened at the Central Arena yesterday. We will continue to follow this story as it develops further." - the news anchor said in a monotone voice.

Jonas overheard that, and his mind had finally stopped suppressing the memory of what happened yesterday. He immediately stopped his search for a spoon, got properly dressed, and rushed over to Carla's house. After a brief two minute run, he arrived to find a closed door.

"Okay, nothing unusual, I'll just knock and..." - Jonas thought to himself before he was swiftly interrupted by an old lady next door, who was sitting in her garden without a care in the world.

"Are you looking for that girl that was dueling yesterday?" - the old lady asked, speaking slowly and enunciating each word.

"Yes, have you seen her?" - Jonas replied

"I haven't seen her since she left for the Arena yesterday, but I have seen her parents."

"Where are they?"

"They went to the hospital. A came over last night. I couldn't hear what he was talking about, but her parents were really worried. They left for the hospital and I haven't seen them come home yet."

"It must be because she was hurt yesterday." - Jonas thought to himself, quickly thanked the old lady for her help, and ran back onto the sidewalk. She nonchalantly leaned into her chair, and started slowly dozing off in the morning sun.

"What hospital could she be in?" - Jonas asked himself - "I don't care, I'll visit them all!"

Suddenly, his body decided enough was enough, and his muscles relaxed as all of the exhaustion from yesterday came back to haunt him.

He woke up a few minutes later, laid out on the pavement.

"I must have passed out." - he thought, slowly rubbing the back of his head to check if there was any bleeding.

He was still determined to find the hospital Carla was in, but this time common sense got the best of him. After much deliberation, he decided to go home and have a rest.

"I can always look for her some other day. If she knew I was passing out on the sidewalk because I want to find her, she'd probably get really angry at me, as she always does."

He quietly laughed at the thought, and headed straight home. Barely making it up the stairs, he entered his bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed out of exhaustion.

He woke up four hours later to the sound of his mom coming home. He waddled out of his room and walked down the stairs.

"Hey mom, how was work?" - he asked to be polite. She answered briefly, but he didn't actually listen to her as there were far bigger things on his mind at the moment.

"What did you eat?" - she asked.

"N-nothing..." - he mumbled in reply - "I wanted to eat something, but I rushed over to Carla's house to try and find out what happened yesterday" - he continued, absentmindedly looking at the pudding cup still sitting on the table in front of the TV.

"And did you find out anything?"

"No, her parents weren't home, but their neighbor said they went to the hospital." - his mother's eyes slightly widened at this comment - "Are there any replays of the duel?" - he asked his mother who worked for a local TV station.

"There are replays, but all footage cuts out before the fire happens. The same thing happened on the live broadcast as well. Our tech department is investigating what happened but they won't be able to recover anything. The footage is too badly damaged."

"And what about the people who were there."

"Our news team tried contacting them, but most of them didn't reply, and the ones who did were in a state of complete shock and not really helpful."

She continued talking about her day, but at this point Jonas was already halfway up the stairs.

"Okay, I'll make something to eat!" - she said begrudgingly when she realized her son wasn't listening to her anymore.

Jonas went back to his room, laid down on the bed, and stared at the dull white ceiling with a million thoughts running through his head.

Over the next few days, Jonas tried to find out any information he could about what happened to Carla. He went to her parents' house every few hours for a week, but most of the time they weren't home, and when they were, they were entirely unhelpful. Their conversations would always follow a similar pattern.

"What happened that day?" - Jonas would ask.

"There was a freak accident with the Solid Vision System." - her parents would reply, each time with less and less conviction.

"What happened to her? Can I see her?"

For reasons Jonas couldn't quite understand, this question was never met with a concrete answer, as her parents would either dodge the question and change the topic, or, as was more often the case, tell Jonas to leave their house.

"Why won't they answer me?" - he wondered to himself during each defeated walk home - "They just keep dodging the damn question! Maybe she's..." - his mind immediately considered the stark possibility that Carla was dead. Whenever this happened, he would just shake his head and keep on walking.

Despite facing constant rejection every time he would try, Jonas kept visiting the Perry household out of desperation, hoping he would find out something this time. As the weeks went on, these visits became less and less frequent, as he slowly started losing what little hope he had left of ever getting an answer.

By the end of the month, Jonas and his family moved to a coastal city a few hours away, called Neo Ragusa.

His father worked for the National Duel Committee, and is the one who has to make sure that a city is able to host the International Duel Championship. Due to the Central Arena still being heavily damaged from the fire, this year's host was chosen to be Neo Ragusa, and the family had to move there.

Jonas kept protesting right until the moment they got in the car and started driving towards the coast. As he watched the green hills and dense forests roll by, he calmed down and thought to himself:

"Maybe... just maybe, a change of scenery isn't too bad."

 **Six months later**

"DUEL!"

Jonas watched his two friends, Marco and Daniel, face off against each other for the third time today, as they dueled to fill time during the thirty minute breaks between classes.

He met those two about five months ago, when school first started. He was in a new city, so he had to meet new people. The first few weeks felt really awkward, but during one of the half-hour breaks, Jonas noticed the two dueling at one of the school's arenas. Thinking he had nothing better to do, he started watching the duel. This repeated a few times before Marco and Daniel invited him to join in. Jonas accepted, without hesitation.

"And on that day, we became friends." - Jonas quickly stopped reminscing about the past and started paying attention to the duel, even though he saw these monsters countless times before.

 **Turn 1 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Why the hell did I choose to go first?" - Daniel exclaimed, looking at his hand - "This is a horrible hand!"

"Stop whining and play!" - Marco said in response, trying to sound threatening while being anything but.

"Fine! Using my Scale 2 **Igknight Cavalier** and Scale 7 **Igknight Margrave** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - he proclaimed, as two heavily armoured warriors appeared either side of him. On the left, a predominantly pink warrior sporting several daggers, and on the right, a figure in red metallic armour, with both his hands holding something that can only be described as a combination of a gun and a blade.

"Now I activate the effect of **Igknight Cavalier** \- by destroying both Igknights in my Pendulum Zones, I can add 1 FIRE Warrior monster from my deck to my hand."

The two warriors disappeared from the Pendulum Scales as quickly as they appeared, as Daniel revealed the **Igknight Paladin** he added to his hand.

"Now, I'll use my Scale 2 **Igknight Paladin** I just added, as well as the Scale 7 **Igknight Templar** in my hand to set the Pendulum Scale once again!" - he said as his two Igknights once again appeared either side of him. The one on the left was sporting dark grey armour with lavender-coloured highlights, while the one on the right was covered in pitch-black armour with bronze highlights. Both warriors also held rather large blades in their right arms.

"Now, from my Extra Deck I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Cavalier** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1200) and **Igknight Margrave** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 1500/DEF 2500)"

The two monsters that were in his Pendulum Scales not too long ago now appeared in front of him, with Cavalier being summoned in attack position, and Margrave in defense.

"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

 **Turn 2** **\- Marco (LP - 4000 / Hand 5 / Field - X)**

"It's time for the good part then!" - Marco proclaimed, again trying to sound cool, and again failing at it - "I draw!"

"I Normal Summon **Deskbot 003** (EARTH/Machine/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 500)."

A yellow robot, the size of a small dog, appeared in front of him. Attached to its left arm was a compass, and to its right arm a ruler, and the entire rest of its body seemed to be composed of various household objects.

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Deskbot monster from my deck, and I summon **Deskbot 002** (EARTH/Machine/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 500).

Deskbot 002 was largely similar in both size and appearance to Deskbot 003, except green instead of yellow. The tiny robot was waving around its left arm, which had a mechanical pencil in it, pretending it's shooting a gun, before it stopped messing around and settled on the field. Marco continued his turn.

"When **Deskbot 002** is Special Summoned, I can add any Deskbot card from my deck to my hand" - he said, adding **Deskbot 008** to his hand.

"Now, I use my Scale 1 **Deskbot 008** and Scale 10 **Deskbot 007** to set the Pendulum Scale."

Two slightly larger robots appeared either side of him, on the left Deskbot 008, a predominantly pink robot with a book in its hand, and on the right Deskbot 007, a yellow bot with both its hands holding one half of a pair of scissors.

"I like **Deskbot 008** , it's like Igknight Cavalier but less cool." - Daniel remarked.

"Be quiet, I'm about to end this duel!" - Marco replied - "Thanks to **Deskbot 002** , all Machine-Type monsters I control except for itself gain 500 attack!"

 **Deskbot 003:** ATK 500 + 500 = 1000

"How is he going to end this duel?" - Jonas overheard a passing student - "He has two very weak monsters on the field." - the student continued on his way, and Jonas didn't reply to him, instead quietly smirking because he knew what was coming.

"From my hand, I Pendulum Summon **Deskbot 009** (EARTH/Machine/Level 9/ATK 500/DEF 500)!" - a robot, larger than all other Deskbots (which didn't mean much, because it was still slightly smaller than Marco) appeared in front of him, its body covered in various household objects - from a stapler on its shoulder, a paint brush in its left hand and a large pair of scissors in the right, down to its feet which were covered in pencils.

"Thanks to the effect of **Deskbot 002** , **Deskbot 009** gains 500 attack!"

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 500 + 500 = 1000

"Next, I use the effect of **Deskbot 003** , and use it to boost its own attack by 500 points for each Deskbot card on the field! And I count 5 Deskbot cards!" - a green glow appeared around the small yellow robot, its attack steadily rising, and when it ended, Deskbot 003 jumped up in the air with glee.

 **Deskbot 003:** ATK 1000 + 2500 = 3500

"Well done, you can count." - Daniel said sarcastically.

"I'm not done yet" - Marco interrupted him" - "Now I activate the effect of **Deskbot 009** , allowing it to gain attack equal to the total attack of all other Deskbot monsters I control!" - he said, as Deskbot 009 slowly increased in size, proportional to its ATK value.

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 1000 + 4000 = 5000

"Battle Phase! During the turn I use its effect, only **Deskbot 009** can attack, but that will be plenty to take you down."

"That bot sure is massive, but I still have my Trap Card" - Daniel thought to himself, but was quickly interrupted.

"I'm sure you remember, but I'll remind you once again, if **Deskbot 009** attacks, you cannot activate any cards, which means my attack will go through uninterrupted!"

"Crap, you're right!" - Daniel exclaimed - "How did I forget that?"

Marco continued his attack, not paying too much attention to what Daniel was saying.

"Just because you can't activate any cards when 009 attacks, doesn't mean I can't."

Daniel's eyes widened slightly, and Jonas kept on watching with a smile on his face, because both knew what was coming.

"I activate **Limiter Removal** , which doubles the attack of all my Machine-Type monsters!" - Marco revealed the Quick-Play Spell in his hand.

 **Deskbot 002:** ATK 500 x 2 = 1000

 **Deskbot 003:** ATK 3500 x 2 = 7000

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 5000 x 2 = 10000

"ATTACK!" - Marco shouted slightly too loudly, pointing his finger at Daniel's attack position Cavalier.

"You'd think that after all this time I'd learn to summon my monsters in defense position." - Daniel thought to himself, before being blown away by 009's attack.

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 4000 = 0

"Another duel, another OTK!" - Marco said happily.

"Yeah, only because I bricked!" - Daniel replied, frustrated - "Anyways, let's go for another one!" - he continued, returning to his usual, happier self.

"There's no time." - Jonas interrupted the two of them - "There's only a few minutes left until class starts."

"Oh, right." - his two friends replied simultaneously, with clear disappointment in their voices.

"Come on, you guys will have time for more duels after school. We only have one class left today anyways."

"Are you going to try qualifying for the IDC this year" - Daniel asked Jonas - "Marco's already qualified to participate in the group stage, and I'm only a few wins away."

"I don't know." - Jonas replied.

"Your winning percentage is 77%, which is way over what you need to apply." - Daniel continued

"I said I don't know!"

"I mean I'm only asking to be polite. To be honest, I've already talked to our head teacher and she's agreed to sign you up this year."

"You did what?" - Jonas turned to face Daniel, who had a grin on his face - "Well I guess I have no choice then! You git."

Daniel couldn't help but burst out in laughter at Jonas' attempts to be angry.

"By the way, if we ever duel against each other in the championship, you're going to lose." - Jonas said - "That's a promise!"

"Sure, if you say so!" - Daniel replied, barely managing to stop himself from laughing further.

"I guess I'm participating in the Championship this year." - Jonas thought to himself, as the school bell rang, signalling the start of class.

"Who knows, with any luck I might find the duelist who was with her in the Arena when the incident happened."

Almost seven months on from that fated day, Jonas had almost never thought of Clara anymore. Since his family arrived in Neo Ragusa, he thought of her less with each day, and his memory of his once friend faded with time.

"The change of scenery certainly helped." - he thought.

Despite this, from time to time, he remembered how desperate he felt in the days after the fire, and thought that maybe tomorrow will be the day when he finally finds out what happened. But he never does.


	2. Let There Be Light

**Chapter 2 - Let There Be Light**

Next day, Jonas woke up at half past seven in the morning - an hour and a half before school starts. Ever since he moved to Neo Ragusa, he started getting more punctual, barely ever being late for school anymore. He went over to the bathroom to start his usual morning routine.

"Am I forgetting something?" - he asked himself in the middle of brushing his teeth. After a minute of thinking, he shrugged, washed his mouth, and went downstairs.

"Good morning dad." - he said

"Good morning." - his father replied, in-between sips of tea - "Your mom made you some toast for breakfast if you're hungry."

Jonas didn't bother replying, his eyes completely focused on the breakfast that was sitting on the counter mere meters ahead of him.

"Oh by the way, did you study for your exam today?" - his father continued.

"Oh crap, that's what I forgot." - Jonas thought to himself, while biting off a big chunk of toast - "Um, yeah." - he lied through his teeth.

"Good. Wouldn't want your grades to be bad, especially since you're participating in the IDC this year."

"How do you know about that?"

"Son, I'm organizing the event. How would I _not_ know about that?"

"Good point."

After he finished breakfast, and shared the final few words with his father, Jonas went back upstairs to get dressed and get ready for school.

"I can't believe I forgot to study for the exam. I guess that hasn't changed in the last half year." - he thought to himself - "It's a Meta History exam, if I remember correctly."

He opened up his phone to look at the exam schedule he had saved at the start of the year. After confirming what class he forgot to study for, he looked at the clock and realized there's still half an hour left before he has to leave.

"I guess I may as well study for a bit, since I forgot to do it yesterday." - he thought.

He opened up the book, boringly titled "The History of the Meta", and after looking at the amount of information he had to memorize, sighed in desperation and threw the book on the bed behind him, then grabbed his deck box. After shuffling his deck a couple of times and testing out a few sample hands, he put it back in the deck box, which he then put into the backpack laying on the bed, along with the books he'll need for the day and his duel disk.

He spent the remaining twenty minutes dawdling around the room aimlessly before finally leaving for school.

Jonas got to school five minutes before the bell rang, and arrived in the classroom to find most of his classmates scrambling around and quickly scrolling through the notes they've made for the exam. Unfazed by all of this, and already prepared for the worst, Jonas sat down in his chair and waited for the teacher to arrive.

One of the substitute teachers walked in, about five minutes late, carrying a large leather bag with her, as the class looked on in mild confusion.

"Professor Lewis is sick today." - she said, as the eyes of the entire class lit up with hope - "However she left the exam with me." - she said happily, as the enthusiasm of everyone else in the room dampened.

And so the exam began. There were a few easy questions, such as "What does HAT stand for?" and "What card is the cornerstone of the infamous Dino Rabbit deck?", but as everyone turned the paper around, the difficulty of the questions ramped up.

The last question in the exam was "Pick any FTK which uses **Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird** , and describe it in detail."

"I remember seeing Blaze Fenix mentioned in the book, but I didn't think we would have to know this." - Marco whispered.

In the desk to the right of him, Daniel was sitting, done with the exam and grinning to himself - "I knew playing Igknights would come in useful one day" - he thought, as he recalled the few weeks he spent playing around with Igknight Blaze Fenix FTK, before reverting to the standard variant.

To the left of Marco was Jonas, who, much like Daniel, was also finished writing the exam, though that was for entirely different reasons, as he gave up on the tougher questions about 20 minutes ago.

The bell rang, and the substitute teacher started collecting the papers, with a few students still scribbling what they possibly can on the exam, in the hopes that some of those scribbles would turn out to be correct answers.

Five minutes into the first break of the day, as most students were discussing the exam, or in Jonas' case, listening to others discuss the exam, a voice came on over the speakers.

"Today's feature duel will start at 11:25. The names of the two participants will be announced shortly. We expect as many students as possible to spectate the duel." - the announcement finished.

Feature duels were a way for the school's students to showcase their decks, as otherwise most duels were held either during the breaks or outside of school hours. They took place every other day, at the school's central court, and the participants were mostly chosen at random.

"The two duelists who will be participating in today's feature duel are both on the cusp of qualifying for the International Duel Championship. The winner will automatically qualify, and the loser will be forced to wait another year. With that out of the way, let's find out the names of these duelists!" - the announcer came back on.

The TV in the classroom turned on, and written on it were the names of two students and the classes they attended.

 **Peter Marshall (3A) vs Hannah King (3G)**

"Wait, she's from our class." - Marco remarked, as Daniel and Jonas looked towards the desk on the far right of the first row. Standing next to the desk was a slender and unusually pale girl, with long blonde hair going all the way down her back, and a pendant with a blue gem in it around her neck. She was worriedly looking at her cards, which were in lime green sleeves, matching her shirt.

"Oh I know her." - Daniel said - "She's one of the top students in our class."

"If she's so good how come she hasn't qualified yet?" - Marco asked.

"I don't know." - Daniel replied, his stare holding on Hannah as they both became more and more worried about the upcoming feature duel.

The bell rang, and the final class before the match started. As Card Design Theory is an entirely uninteresting subject, most people in the class spent the next hour just messing around, apart from a select few who were thinking about the upcoming duel. Once the class ended, fifteen minutes before the start of the duel, everyone slowly started heading towards the central court where the school's main arena was located.

By the time the duel was about to start, the arena was packed with students, and the duelists were just entering.

On one side was Hannah, still with a worried look on her face, with an entirely green duel disk on her left arm. On the other side was Peter, a tall and slender 18-year-old with short black hair, a confident look on his face, and a duel disk as dark as obsidian on his right arm.

"Duel!" - the two exclaimed in sync.

 **Turn 1 - Peter (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll take the first turn." - Peter said, calmly observing his starting hand. After a bit of consideration, he made his first move.

"I Normal Summon **Ally of Justice Garadholg** (DARK/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 400)." - an orange mech holding two swords made out of pure light appeared in front of him.

"Next up, I activate **One for One**! I send one monster from my hand to the graveyard, and Special Summon one Level 1 monster from my deck!" - a small monster made up of several sprockets started materializing in front of him.

"I summon **Sinister Sprocket** (DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Level 1/ATK 400/DEF 0)!"

"I know what's coming." - Daniel thought to himself as he watched on - "This isn't good."

"Now I tune my Level 1 **Sinister Sprocket** and Level 4 **Ally of Justice Garadholg**! Come forth, mechanical beast which eradicates all that is unjust! Synchro Summon, **Ally of Justice Catastor** (DARK/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2200/DEF 1200)!"

A four-legged, worm-like mechanical creature appeared, its curved silver body propped up on four jointed legs. Its face was composed of a black sphere with a single green eye in it, surrounded by a gleaming golden hood. Gold plates of various shapes and sizes were scattered around its body and limbs, but they looked to be more aesthetically pleasing than functional.

"I end my turn."

"Just as I predicted. Let's see if she can get out of this." - Daniel muttered to himself.

 **Turn 2 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Catastor destroys any monster it battles, as long as that monster isn't DARK." - Hannah thought to herself - "So I'll have to get rid of it without battle."

"Draw!" - she looked at the card she just drew - "Perfect! I Normal Summon **Majespecter Crow - Yata** (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)."

A small purple three-legged crow with green eyes appeared. Flying behind it was a scarlet cape attached to a black brace with a grid-like pattern on it. Going down its feathered body were belts, the use of which was to hold up something that could only be described as a tornado launcher at the bottom of the creature, as purple tornadoes came out of them, keeping the crow afloat in the air.

"When Crow is Normal or Special Summoned to my field, I can add one Majespecter Spell Card from my deck to my hand!" - she said, immediately activating the card she just added - "I activate **Majespecter Cyclone**! I tribute my **Majespecter Crow - Yata** and destroy 1 monster you control."

The crow which appeared on Hannah's field moments ago disappeared, and was replaced by a large purple tornado, headed straight for Catastor. Peter was blown away by the storm's intensity, and when it cleared Catastor was gone, and a few cheers emerged from the crowd.

"Now I'll use my Scale 2 **Majespecter Cat - Nekomata** and Scale 5 **Majespecter Crow - Yata** to set the Pendulum Scale!"

To the left of her was a small cyan cat with a red cape and two tornadoes for tails, and to the right was a familiar purple crow.

"Now from my Extra Deck I Pendulum Summon back **Majespecter Crow - Yata** (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500), and from my hand, **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000)!" - the familiar purple crow appeared alongside a bright orange fox, which had, much like the Cat in the Pendulum Scale, a red cape and a tornado for a tail.

"When **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Majespecter Trap Card from my deck to the hand." - she said, adding **Majespecter Tempest** to her hand.

"Battle Phase! I attack directly with **Yata** and **Kyubi**!" - she exclaimed, pointing her finger towards the opposite side of the field, as the two small animals rushed towards Peter's empty field, as the crowd was getting slightly more enthusiastic about the duel.

 **Peter:** LP 4000 - 2500 = 1500

"I set one card and end my turn." - a floating card appeared behind the two monsters, in the center of the field.

 **Turn 3** **\- Peter (LP - 1500 / Hand - 2 / Field - X)**

"She's not bad, usually people waste more time getting Catastor off the field, but she did it in one turn. Still, I haven't brought out my big guns yet." - Peter thought.

"Draw!" - he said, as he looked at the card he drew, and smiled.

"I activate **Terraforming** , which I'm sure you know, allows me to search a..."

"Everyone knows what **Terraforming** does, just move on!" - Peter was interrupted by a voice from the crowd, which upon further inspection turned out to be Daniel's, as Jonas was glaring at him with disapproval, as if to tell him to not interrupt the duel.

"Well since you're so eager, I activate **Intergalactic Gateway**!"

The duel arena disappeared, and the duelists were now standing on an elongated platform. Behind both of them were two portals with a distinct metallic hexagonal frame which emitted a blue glow as the wormhole inside it menacingly threatened to suck in everything that comes near it. Other than the two portals, the duelists were surrounded by the vast emptiness of space, with a few sparse stars appearing on the horizon.

" **Intergalactic Gateway** turns all monsters we control, as well as all monsters in our hand and graveyards, into LIGHT monsters!"

"Crap, this means my set Tempest is useless!" - Hannah said quietly, thinking out loud.

"Gateway has two more effects, one of which I'll use right now! I pay 500 Life Points to add one Ally of Justice monster from my deck to the hand."

 **Peter:** LP 1500 - 500 = 1000

"I add **Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator** (DARK/Machine/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1200) to my hand!" - he said, as he summoned the monster, which was a red mechanical bird, with a yellow beak and talons and large fans embedded in its wings.

"Next, I activate **Iron Call**. Now, because I control a Machine-Type monster, I can summon one Level 4 or lower Machine from my graveyard. Welcome back, **Ally of Justice Garadholg** (DARK/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 400)." - the orange mech once again appeared on the field.

"Finally, I'll use the other effect of **Intergalactic Gateway** , which allows me to Special Summon an Ally of Justice from my hand! I summon **Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher** (DARK/Machine/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 800)!" - in front of him appeared a mechanized mammoth. Below its bright red eyes was trunk which was segmented and had a cannon on the front of it, and on either side of the trunk were two tusks, blue and green in color.

"Now I tune my Level 3 **Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator** with the Level 3 **Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher** and Level 4 **Ally of Justice Garadholg**. Come forth, my greatest ally! Descend upon this rotten world and purge the waste of life that dares stand before you! Synchro Summon, **Ally of Justice Decisive Armor** (DARK/Machine/Level 10/ATK 3300/DEF 3300)!"

Through the portal behind him came a massive machine, mostly gold and dark blue in color. At its core was a spherical central unit, at the bottom of which was an entirely golden base, and surrounding it a half sphere with a giant cannon protruding from the top of it. The monster also had two arms, which were composed of two smaller cannons surrounded by a golden arc which ended in two very large spikes. The entire creature was sight to behold, as it was the size of a small moon, and therefore kept its distance from the playing field so as to not cast a shadow over the entire duel.

"Now, since you control a LIGHT monster, courtesy of my **Intergalactic Gateway** , I can activate the effect of **Ally of Justice Decisive Armor** , and destroy one set card on your field." - he said, as Decisive Armor charged up its smaller side cannons, and blew away Hannah's set Majespecter Tempest.

"Next, I'll attack your **Majespecter Crow - Yata** with my **Decisive Armor**!" - the attack took quite a long time to actually start, as Decisive Armor was charging up its central cannon. After about twenty seconds of waiting, it finally fired a gigantic shot towards Hannah's field, destroying Yata and blowing her away to the edge of the platform in the process.

 **Hannah:** LP 4000 - 2300 = 1700

"I end my turn." - he said.

"This is quite a difficult situation." - Daniel thought - "Then again, I thought that about him having Catastor on the field, and she dealt with that quite easily."

 **Turn 4 - Hannah (LP 1700 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Majespecter Fox - Kyubi, **Pendulum Cards:** Majespecter Cat - Nekomata, Majespecter Crow - Yata **)**

"Next turn he'll just use **Intergalactic Gateway** , so he can just search out **Ally of Justice Quarantine** , which will mean I can't do anything." - Hannah thought - "So I have to beat him this turn."

"Draw!" - she looked at the card she drew - "Yes!" - she exclaimed with glee, noticing the exact line of plays she needs to win this turn.

"I activate **Majesty's Pegasus**!" - the bleak space behind her started getting overtaken by light. Consuming the hexagonal portal was a giant tornado that was slowly approaching the playing field, as lightning struck behind it at irregular intervals. Half of the field was now consumed by blinding light, as the other half was still floating in the midst of space, creating a stark and beautiful contrast.

" **Majesty's Pegasus** gives all my Majespecter monsters an extra 300 ATK."

 **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi:** ATK 1500 + 300 = 1800

"That's all nice, but not even close enough to putting a dent in my **Ally of Justice Decisive Armor**." - Peter said, almost assured of his victory.

"I'm not done yet." - Hannah said quietly, then slowly started raising her voice - "Using my already set Pendulum Scales, I Pendulum Summon back **Majespecter Crow - Yata**!" - she said as the crow appeared on the field once again.

 **Majespecter Crow - Yata:** ATK 1000 + 300 = 1300

"Again, that's really nice, but..."

"How about you let me actually finish my turn?" - Hannah interrupted Peter, with a vigor that was non-present in her duel up to this point, and with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"When **Yata** is summoned, I can add a Majespecter Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. And I add **Majespecter Sonic**!"

Peter's eyes widened, but not because he knew that card's effect and saw that he would be defeated this turn, but more in surprise of Hannah interrupting him.

"I activate **Majespecter Sonics**!" - she continued with her turn - "This doubles the ATK of one Majespecter monster I control, but any damage that monster inflicts is halved!"

As the crowd was looking on mesmerized, Daniel was the first to come to the realization that the duel was in fact over, and started subtly smiling.

"I use Sonics' effect on **Kyubi**!"

 **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi:** ATK: 1800 x2 = 3600

" **Majespecter Fox** , attack **Ally of Justice Decisive Armor**!" - she pointed to the giant machine floating behind Peter's field. The small fox ran towards it, and when it reached the end of the platform, fired a yellow tornado towards Decisive Armor, which slowly increased in size, eventually consuming the entire giant.

 **Peter:** LP 1000 - 150 = 850

"Wait, wait!" - Peter exclaimed, as he desperately looked at his boss monster disappear, but Hannah just continued with her onslaught.

"Finally, **Majespecter Crow** , attack Peter directly!" - Yata attacked in a similar manner to Kyubi, shooting a purple tornado towards Peter, as he tried to resist the strong wind, before ultimately succumbing to the attack and getting blown away into space, which then turned into a wall as the Solid Vision disappeared.

 **Peter:** LP 850 - 850 = 0

Hannah slowly walked over towards him as he got up, recovering from his loss, and offered him a handshake.

Meanwhile in the crowd, Daniel was clapping and jumping up and down, as all his subtlety and calmness from earlier disappeared, and was replaced by sheer joy. Mid-jump, Jonas grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled him down to the ground.

"Calm down man!" - he said - "What's gotten into you today?"

"I don't know!" - Daniel replied, with the biggest grin on his face, he said, then immediately composed himself as he noticed Hannah walking over towards him.

"I already have fans then, huh?" - she said, now with far more confidence in her voice than she had at the start of the duel.

"Um... I just got a bit excited, that's all." - Daniel replied.

"I can see that."

A voice came over the speakers: "Hannah King has qualified for the IDC. Peter Marshall, better luck next year!"

"Yeah I did!" - she said, looking at the speaker, before turning her head back towards Daniel - "I guess you've already qualified?" - she asked.

"Yeah I have!" - Daniel replied, mumbling his words and lying through his teeth, as the two friends behind him were quietly snickering, amused by the entire situation. At this point, the bell rang, and the four slowly started walking towards class.

"So what decks do you guys play?" - she asked the group.

"I play..." - Jonas started replying, but Daniel immediately interrupted him.

"Instead of us telling you, why don't you have a few duels with us when school is done?" - he asked.

"Sure! But I can't stick around too long, we have an exam tomorrow." - Hannah answered.

"Oh that's _another_ exam I forgot." - Jonas thought - "I'm honestly not even surprised with myself at this point."

They entered the classroom, and she sat down in her first row desk, as Jonas, Daniel and Marco continued towards theirs, which were situated in the middle of the classroom.

"See you around then!" - she said, as the teacher entered the room.

Just as the class was about to start, the head teacher walked in, and noticed Hannah in the first row.

"Congratulations." - he said, offering her a handshake, which she duly accepted - "You've given me more paperwork." - he joked.

After that brief interruption, the class continued as normal.


	3. Stars of Destiny

**Chapter 3 - Stars of Destiny**

" **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** , direct attack!" - Hannah said, as the small fox charged towards Daniel's field, containing only two Pendulum Scales and nothing else.

 **Daniel:** LP 1500 - 1500 = 0

"That was a fun duel." - she said, smiling.

"Yeah it was, but man, you have way too much backrow for me to deal with!" - Daniel replied.

"You just need better Extra Deck monsters, to be honest."

"Yeah I know, but I just can't find anything decent to put in my Extra right now."

"I have some decent Rank 6 monsters at home, I'll bring them to school tomorrow so you can have a look."

"Oh th... thanks." - Daniel mumbled.

"Anyways, I think I have time to stick around for one more duel." - Hannah said, looking at her watch - "Up for a duel, Jonas?" - she asked Jonas, who was zoned out, thinking about nothing in particular.

"It's Jonas, right?" - she asked, as he stopped daydreaming.

"Yeah, that's the name." - he replied.

"Oh good, you weren't replying so I thought I got your name wrong. Anyways, up for a duel?"

"Sure! I almost never get picked for feature duels, and these two..." - he said, pointing his thumb towards Daniel and Marco standing behind him - "...are often too busy dueling each other, so I never get the chance to test my deck out."

"What do you even play?" - Hannah asked.

"You'll see."

Hannah put her deck into its slot, as the disk automatically started shuffling it, and watched Jonas put his duel disk on his arm, as it slowly opened. The central unit, with the touchscreen on it, was predominantly dark red, and not much changed when the solid vision blade activated. It too was mostly dark red, with the occasional flash of a brighter red color, and was surrounded by a sleek white frame. The top part of the frame was completely straight, but the bottom was slightly arced, and joined with the top part on both sides in the shape of the tip of a sword.

"Duel!"

 **Turn 1 - Hannah (LP 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Not the greatest hand." - Hannah thought, as she observed the cards in her hand, which contained three 5-scales, and not much else of any use - "But I can work with it."

"I summon **Majespecter Raccoon - Bunbuku**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 900) " - the monster she summoned appeared in front of her, and looked mostly like a normal raccoon, with mainly brown fur, and a bushy tail with black stripes running across it. However, unlike a normal raccoon, it also had a red cape around its neck, and a black and orange tornado launcher which was bigger than the body it was strapped to.

" **Bunbuku** can search a Majespecter monster from my deck upon Summon!" - she said - "I add **Majespecter Cat - Nekomata**."

"Wait, a Normal Summon? That's quite unlike a Pendulum deck." - Daniel remarked.

"Yeah, not the best hand I've ever drawn." - she shrugged, then set Cat in her Pendulum Scale, together with the second Raccoon she drew. The familiar turquoise cat appeared to her left, and a raccoon identical to one already on the field on her right.

"I Pendulum Summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000) " - an orange tornado descended onto the field, and when it cleared, a small fox with a red cape appeared.

"When **Kyubi** is summoned, I can add one Majespecter Trap Card from my deck to my hand, and I add **Majespecter Tempest**!"

"I set one card! Now show me what you got!" - she said, ending her turn.

 **Turn 2 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I draw!" - Jonas said - "First of all, before I do anything, I activate **Mystical Space Typhoon**!" - a strong wind blew towards Hannah's field, revealing the Tempest that was set moments ago.

"Good, now you can't interrupt my plays. So let's go!" - he said, as he grabbed a card from his hand and placed it inside the central unit, which housed the scanner for Spells and Traps.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tensu**! First of all, this card grants all Beast-Warrior monsters an extra 100 ATK." - a small ball of bright orange flame appeared in front of the card.

"More importantly, **Tensu** allows me to Normal Summon one extra Beast-Warrior monster from my hand each turn, and I'll use that effect now! I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 100)"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster:** ATK 1500 + 100 = 1600

Despite its Beast-Warrior type, Rooster was a human. He had long black hair, a lot of black armor covering his arms and torso, and a blue cape behind him that was being held up by his shoulder plates. Around his waist was a belt, with a bright silver buckle, holding up a black skirt-like piece of armor, and all of Rooster's armor and clothing was surrounded by a sleek golden outline. He raised his flame shaped blade, and out of it shot a light blue ray, which slowly materialized into the shape of a rooster made entirely out of fire, which after spreading its wings much like a phoenix would, settled behind Rooster on the field.

"I use the effect of **Rooster** , allowing me to send a Fire Formation card from my field to the graveyard, and set another one directly from my deck!"

The orange flame representing Tensu fizzled out, and in its place appeared a flame much more yellow in color.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tenki** , which allows me to add 1 Level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand!" - Jonas said, selecting the appropriate target on his duel disk, which extended the top card of his deck for him to take - "Oh, it was on top of the deck. Of course it was." - he said sarcastically.

"Now, I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200)"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit:** ATK 500 + 100 = 600

This monster was entirely made out of dark blue flames, which looked to be loosely held together by its armor. The armor around its hands, as well as its hips and waist was black, while its shoulder plates, torso and boots were a mettalic silver color. Much like with Rooster, all of its armor had golden highlights around it.

"Now, I'll tune my Level 3 **Spirit** and my Level 3 **Rooster**! Oh Grand Marshal, master of combat and releaser of demons, ascend upon the battlefield! Synchro Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200)

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300

A large, muscular figure appeared, wearing armor largely similar in appearance to the other Fire Fists, predominantly silver, purple pants, and white boots. He rode a horse made entirely out of dark blue flames.

"A Synchro-oriented archetype. Interesting." - Hannah said.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." - said Jonas in reply - "Next I use the effect of **Horse Prince** , allowing me to Special Summon 1 Level 3 FIRE monster from my Deck. However, during the turn Horse Prince is summoned, I cannot summon any more Level 5 or higher monsters."

"So it's not a Synchro-oriented archetype, because now he can't summon any more this turn." - Hannah thought -"Actually, I think I know where this is going. Let's wait and see if I'm right."

"Using **Horse Prince** 's effect, I summon another copy of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** from the deck!" - Spirit once again appeared in front of him.

"Next, I'll use **Spirit** 's effect, allowing me to Special Summon 1 Level 3 FIRE monster from my grave, as long as it has 200 or less DEF." - he said, as a light blue flame came out of his graveyard, and Rooster once again appeared on the field.

"When **Rooster** is Special Summoned by the effect of a Fire Fist monster, I can add one Fire Fist monster from my deck to my hand. I add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist Gorilla**!"

"He has a tuner, but due to Horse Prince's effect, cannot Synchro Summon. So my predictions were right, he'll Xyz Summon now." - Hannah was quite pleased with herself for figuring that out early.

"I'll overlay my Level 3 **Spirit** and my Level 3 **Rooster**! Spiritual guardian of the Fire Fists! Oh heavenly king, descend once again upon this land! Xyz Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 3/ATK 2200/DEF 200)"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor:** ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300

Lion Emperor wore armor silver in color, similar to a most other Fire Fists, with the only differences being a glowing red outline around most of it. His head was surrounded in golden fur, similar to a lion's mane, which continued down his back. He wore red gloves on both his arms, which were gripping two long, sharp blades. Either side of him were two floating flaming lion heads that left a long trail of white fire behind them.

"Battle Phase!" - Jonas declared - " **Horse Prince** , attack **Bunbuku**!" - the dark horse, with Horse Prince riding it, started charging towards the helpless raccoon. Suddenly, the horse opened up its mouth, and shot pitch-black flames towards Bunbuku. The animal was completely engulfed.

 **Hannah:** LP 4000 - 1100 = 2900

"Next, **Lion Emperor** attacks **Ogama**!" - the emperor pointed his finger towards the toad, and the two flaming lion heads charged towards it.

 **Hannah:** LP 2900 - 1000 = 1900

"I set one card, and end my turn."

 **Turn 3 - Hannah (LP - 1900/Hand - 3/Field - Pendulum Scales:** Majespecter Cat - Nekomata, Majespecter Raccoon - Bunbuku **)**

"Not bad. You disassembled that field all in one turn. So now it's time for me to return the favour." - she said, smiling - "Draw!"

"I Pendulum Summon, from the Extra Deck, **Majespecter Raccoon** and **Majespecter Fox** , and from my hand, **Majespecter Crow - Yata**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)" - Raccoon and Fox descended back onto the field, followed by a purple crow.

"Get ready for a lot of searching! After this Pendulum Summon, I can add one Majespecter monster, one Majespecter Trap, and one Majespecter Spell card from my deck to my hand!"

"Look at that search power! No wonder she beat me!" - Daniel said, looking on.

"You dolt, your _entire deck_ searches, and you still lost." - Marco replied.

"Sh... shut up."

Hannah continued with her turn - "I add **Majespecter Tornado** , **Majespecter Storm** and **Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin** to my hand!"

"First of all, I'll tribute **Majespecter Crow - Yata**. Majestic pegasus, ruler of the spectrums! Tribute Summon! **Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 2000)" - a majestic unicorn appeared in the middle of the field, wearing a burgundy cape and bits of black armor like all other Majespecters. It had a glorious golden mane, flowing down its neck, and an equally impressive tail. On the top of its head was a small piece of black armor which had a tornado launcher on it and covered up its horn.

"Next, I'll use **Kirin** 's effect. I return **Kyubi** to the hand, and **Lion Emperor** to the Extra Deck!" - the unicorn shot a white tornado towards Lion Emperor, and despite the attempts of the two floating lion heads to protect him, the monster returned to the Extra Deck, and its bright white flames quickly fizzled out.

"Not done yet!" - Hannah said - "I activate **Majespecter Storm** to tribute **Bunbuku** and shuffle **Horse Prince** back into the deck!" - Bunbuku's brown tornado entirely consumed it, then headed for Horse Prince, and Jonas was blown back slightly by the intensity of the storm.

"I told you I'd return the favour! Now, **Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin** , direct attack! Sparkle tornado!"

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"There we go. Your field is empty, and now the real fun starts. I'll set one card, and end my turn!"

 **Turn 4 - Jonas (LP - 2000/Hand - 3/Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tenki, 1 set card **)**

"Not bad, but I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve." - Jonas said - "Draw!" - he looked at the card he drew, and barely contained himself from bursting into laughter.

"First and foremost, let's disable that pesky backrow! I activate **Fire Formation - Gyokkou** , allowing me to target 1 face-down Spell or Trap you control, and while **Gyokkou** is face-up on the field, you can't activate it! And it also gives all Beast-Warriors and extra 100 ATK, but that goes without saying." - a light blue flame ball appeared in front of the card.

"So now my **Tornado** is useless, but you still have to get over Kirin." - Hannah said, without a hint of arrogance in her voice - "I presume you already have a plan for that!" - she smiled.

"Oh yeah! So let's start! Normal Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1000)" - a man appeared, covered entirely in black and gold armor, holding a wand in his left arm. He lifted it up in the air, and a bright orange flame shot out of it and up into the air, before descending back onto the field and materializing in the form of a large, red, flaming gorilla.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla:** ATK 1600 + 200 = 1800

"Next, I activate my set card - **Fire Formation - Tensen**! This gives all my Beast-Warriors an extra 300 ATK, as well as granting one Beast-Warrior an additional 700 ATK!" - an orange fire ball appeared in front of Tensen.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla:** ATK 1800 + 1000 = 2800

" **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla** , attack **Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin**!"

"So that's your plan, to just run over **Kirin**? Decent idea, but I activate Kirin's effect! It returns itself and Gorilla to the hand!" - a tornado, larger than any before it, descended upon the field. After a few seconds it disappeared, and so did the monsters from both players' fields.

"Decent plan, but now your field is empty and you used your Normal Summon." - Hannah said.

"And who said I need to Normal Summon? I use the effect of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 800) from my hand. I send three Fire Formation cards from my field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon it from the hand!" - a large man appeared, sporting black armor and a giant black cape. Behind him flew a small swallow, made of turquoise flames, and both his hand held large blades, engulfed in fire which matched the swallow in color.

"When **Swallow** is summoned, I can set a Fire Formation Trap from my deck, and I'll set another copy of **Tensen**!"

"I see." - Hannah said, then closed her eyes - "But I still have my scales..." - she opened her eyes again and looked towards Jonas in shock, as he revealed a card in his hand.

"I activate **Twin Twisters** , discard **Gorilla** from my hand, and destroy your Pendulum Scales."

"So that was your plan all along?" - Hannah asked - "For me to return Gorilla to hand, so you could have discard fodder _and_ a monster on the field."

"Yeah, pretty much!" - Jonas answered, and she couldn't help but sigh in reply - "Anyways, it's your turn."

"I guess..."

 **Turn 5 - Hannah (LP 1900/Hand 5/Field - Spells/Traps** : 1 set **)**

"Draw!" - she said, but was immediately interrupted.

"Before you do anything, I activate **Fire Formation - Tensen** again." - Jonas said.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow:** ATK 2000 + 1000 = 3000

"I may not be able to Pendulum Summon." - Hannah said, looking at Kirin, Fox and Cat in her hand, which were all 2-scales - "But I'm not out of this yet! I Normal Summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** back to the field!" - the fox once again appeared on the field.

"Next, I activate **Majespecter Cyclone** , which allows me to tribute one..." - she started making a move, but stopped and noticed nothing was happening - "Wait, why isn't it working?" - she asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention." - Jonas replied - "While **Swallow** is on the field, no Beast-Warrior monster can be targeted by your card effects."

"Well, that's ironic." - Hannah thought - "I have all these monsters that cannot be targeted, and now I get screwed over by the same thing!" - she looked at the screen on the central unit of her duel disk, and searched for the surrender button.

Suddenly, all monsters on the field disappeared, as Hannah started walking towards Jonas.

"Wait, what happened?" - Jonas asked out of confusion.

"I scooped." - she answered.

"What, really?" - Jonas' confusion turned into surprise - "Why?"

"Well, you have a monster stronger than anything I can summon _and_ it cannot be targeted. You'd just win next turn, so why would I not?"

"I guess you do have a point." - Jonas said, as Hannah approached him, and offered a handshake, which he accepted.

"I guess you do make a good point." - he said - "I was really lucky to topdeck that Twin Twister though."

"Wait, you topdecked it?" - she asked.

"Yeah, it really saved my..." - Jonas said, but was interrupted by Hannah.

"You _topdecked_ the perfect card and I can't even draw a god damn 5-scale? You sacky..." - Hannah raised her tone of voice, but was interrupted by Daniel just in time.

"Hey, hey relax!" - he said. Hannah took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I probably should." - she said in a much calmer tone of voice - "It's not that big of a deal anyways" - she was almost fully calmed down, but gave Jonas one last glare, as if to say: "Your luck is unbelievable!"

All of them started slowly walking towards the exit from the school.

"So, now we're all qualified for the Championship." - Daniel said, and Marco stared at him, desperately wanting to tell the truth, but Daniel looked at him as well, with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Don't say anything, please." - he thought, and Marco obliged after seeing the look on Daniel's face.

"I'll just keep my mouth shut, I'm sure he'll qualify anyways." - he thought.

Hannah wanted to ask something, but was distracted by a mysterious figure at the school gate. He was tall, about two meters in height, and wore a long black trenchcoat over a barely visible red vest.

"Well he doesn't look sinister at all." - she thought - "Whatever, I'm sure he won't cause any problems. Now, wasn't there a question I wanted to ask?"

"Oh yeah, when does the Championship start?" - she blurted out the question a bit too quickly.

"Next Saturday." - Marco answered.

"Oh good, so we still have time to prepare!" - she said.

"Or qualify..." - Marco thought, again looking at Daniel, as the group slowly separated and started heading towards their homes.

* * *

"So, she's in the Championship?" - a figure asked, standing in the shadows, looking towards a strange map on the wall, facing away from the person that was being asked the question.

"Yes." - a man in a black trenchcoat and red vest replied, in a deep, gruff voice.

"And you have confirmed that she's using Majespecters?" - the conversation continued.

"Definitely. I saw her duel."

"Good... good." - the man in the shadow said - "Now leave, and prepare for the tournament."

"Yes, sir!" - he replied.


	4. Dragons of the Sun

**Chapter 4 - Dragons of the Sun**

The sky was filled with clouds, and a slight fog descended upon an unusually cold morning in Neo Ragusa. It was so early that barely anyone was out on the streets, in a rare moment of serenity in an otherwise bustling city.

Jonas' phone buzzed. He tried his best to ignore it, as he didn't want to get out of bed, but it just kept on vibrating until he was forced to wake up and check who is so eager to get to him. He unlocked his phone, and was surprised that he had about twenty unread messages, all from Hannah, and all reading the same thing: "Wake up!"

"what do you want" - he answered her texts, thinking "I'm way too tired for proper capitalization."

Hannah wasted no time to reply - "I watched the replay of our duel yesterday."

"Yes" - Jonas replied, at least bothering to capitalize the first letter of his message this time.

"You misplayed." - she answered. A short and concise message, but it surprised Jonas just enough to make him wake up from his slumber.

"Check the replay of the last duel, it should still be on your duel disk." - she texted, this time not even waiting for a reply.

Jonas started watching the replay, and noticed that he activated the effect of Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit when it was Special Summoned, when its effect only triggers when it's Normal Summoned, and put his head in his hands.

" _How?_ " - he thought to himself - "I've played this deck for so long and then I go and do that."

While he was watching the replay, Hannah sent over one last message.

"You're getting slapped I swear." - it said.

Jonas was still sleepy, so he didn't think much of the message. He left his phone to charge on the desk opposite his bed, then left his room and started his usual morning routine.

Jonas exited the house at exactly seven, which was much earlier than the time he would usually leave for school.

"Who the hell wakes up that early?" - he thought - "She lives like ten minutes away from the school, there's no reason for her to get up that early."

He slowly walked down the fog-covered sidewalk, as he was in no rush. His train of thought then changed.

"Wait, don't we have an exam today? I managed to forget again, didn't I?" - he sighed, then opened up his phone to check which exam slipped his mind this time - "Oh it's Deckbuilding Theory. That should be easy." - he instantly got less worried.

He slowly approached the school, forty minutes before the time it actually starts.

"I bet some of the teachers aren't even here yet." - he mumbled quietly, then started climbing up the stairs that lead to the second floor of the school, before turning left and heading towards his class. At the very end of the hallway was a half-open door with 3G written on it. As he opened the door, he noticed only one other person actually arrived to school this early.

She got up from her first row desk, approached Jonas, raised her right arm, and slapped him. Jonas looked at her with surprise in his eyes, holding his left cheek.

"Why do you look so shocked, I did tell you I'd slap you." - Hannah said in a deadpan voice, before she perked up again.

"Anyways, did you study for the exam?" - she asked, getting back behind her desk.

"No, but it's Deckbuilding Theory. That should be easy, right?" - Jonas replied. The initial shock from getting slapped had passed, and he was now only left with slight pain.

"Well it is, but you have to build a deck that doesn't always rely on topdecks." - she poked fun at Jonas.

"Decks are made out of forty cards, sometimes you have to rely on luck."

"Yeah, I know, but I just had to throw one in there. Anyways, you're in a feature duel today." - she changed the topic nonchalantly.

"What now?" - Jonas looked at her, more shocked than he was a few minutes earlier.

"Yeah, a feature duel. I overheard the teachers talking about it when I was coming to school, though I don't know who you're playing against." - she promptly answered - "Whoever you're dueling is very good however. They said it would be two students with really high winning percentages."

"Huh, I guess I'd better prepare then."

"Yeah, you should." - Hannah said - "I'll be watching you though, so you better not make any misplays this time."

"Yeah, whatever, that was a one time thing." - Jonas waved his hand, then opened his deck box.

As the start of the school day approached, more and more students arrived in class. Hannah, as well as most others, opened up the Deckbuilding Theory book, and quitely revised for the exam, and Jonas repeatedly shuffled his deck and drew test hands. He was confident about the upcoming duel, yet also slightly worried about making another mistake, this time in front of a much larger audience.

The first class of the day finally started, and just as Jonas predicted, the Deckbuilding Theory exam was quite easy. Most questions were just picking out staple cards for various given decks. Not even the last question was particularly difficult, as they usually tend to be, as it was just picking out cards that don't fit in the decklist that was given, and replacing them with better ones. Most students turned in their papers ten minutes before the end of class, and were just waiting for the bell to ring.

When it finally did, the teacher, as well as most of the students, rushed for the door, as a voice came on over the speakers.

"Attention students, there's been a change of schedule. The fourth class of the day has been cancelled, in favor of a feature duel. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused, but we're sure you don't mind the change too much. Anyways, the two students we picked to participate in this feature duel have both already qualified for the IDC, so this is your opportunity to watch some of the best duelists this school has to offer in action."

"Some of the best..." - Hannah whispered, then quietly chuckled.

"She's still on about that misplay." - Jonas thought, overhearing what she said - "She's right though, I can't be considered the best if I make misplays. I'll just have to focus more on this duel."

"That being said, the names of the duelists will show up on the TV screens in your classrooms." - the voice coming through the speakers finished, and they turned off at the same time the TV turned on.

As expected, Jonas' name was on there, as well as the name of a student from class 3C. He slowly walked over to Hannah's desk.

"Sara Blanc... do you happen to know her?" - he asked her.

"Nope." - she answered - "Actually, wait... she might have been in a feature duel once before, but I can't for the life of me remember what she plays."

Marco walked into the room, as the start of the next class was slowly approaching.

"So, you're in the feature duel." - he told Jonas.

"That I am." - he replied.

"Well, good luck. I hear your opponent's top of her class." - Marco said.

"I would hope she is, qualifying for the IDC isn't easy." - Hannah joined the conversation, just as it ended. The bell rang, signifying the start of the second class of the day.

The second and third class were Card Design Theory, an utterly uninteresting subject that wasn't helped by the fact the teacher had the kind of monotone voice that could put you to sleep. Despite this, those two hours went by rather quickly, but that was mostly because nobody was paying attention to the teacher talking about the details of Problem Solving Card Text, but were rather preoccupied by any source of entertainment they could get their hands on.

Just as the teacher was about to go off on a tangent trying to explain why "and if you do" implies that two effects are simultaneous, the class ended, and all the students rushed out as the feature duel was finally about to start.

As the school's main arena filled with students, Jonas looked down a long hallway, leading to the arena, waiting for his name to be said so he can enter the arena. Sara was called to enter first, and he could hear a small cheer, mostly coming from her classmates, as she entered the arena. Finally, he heard his own name.

"Well, here we go then." - Jonas said, as he ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair, which was uncombed, despite him being woken up much earlier than usual today.

He slowly walked into the arena, being greeted by a cheer that was just as unimpressive as Sara's was, and looked at his opponent. She was about a head shorter than him, which was fairly average height, and had shoulder-length red hair. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and had duel disk on her left arm. The duel disk had a striking yellow frame, but was otherwise entirely black, with a smooth matte finish.

"Duelists, get ready!" - a voice came through the speakers, as Jonas and Sara both activated their duel disks.

"Duel!" - they proclaimed simultaneously.

 **Turn 1 - Sara (LP 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Not a bad hand." - Sara commented - "First off, I summon **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb** (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 400)." - a bright yellow dragon appeared, matched in color by its golden armor, which covered most of its body, including the tail and wings.

"Now, I'll set one card, and end my turn." - she said, as a face down card appeared vertically in front of her.

"She says she got a good hand, and that's all she does." - Jonas thought.

 **Turn 2 - Jonas (LP 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"My turn!" - he said - "Draw!"

"Now _this_ is a good hand." - he thought.

"First off, I'll activate **Foolish Burial**! Using its effect, I send **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard** from my deck to the graveyard!"

Some younger students were confused as to why Foolish Burial would ever be useful, but Sara was looking at Jonas as if she knew the exact line of plays he would now make.

"Next, I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200)" - a spirit made of dark flames, wearing silver armor, appeared on the field.

" **Spirit** , when Normal Summoned, allows me to..." - Jonas started saying something, before stopping to think.

"When it's Normal Summoned, right?" - he thought to himself, and glanced at the card text quickly, so that nobody would notice - "Yeah, I'm right."

"When **Spirit** is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 3 FIRE monster with 200 or less DEF from my graveyard!" - he said, after a brief pause to think.

"I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 200)" - a man with a ponytail appeared, with a long brown cape around his neck. His clothes were prevalently brown and gray, and he was far less armored than some other Fire Fists. Next to him was, despite his name being Leopard, a cheetah made out of light blue flames. It circled the man a few times, before settling in place next to him.

"Now, I tune my Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** and Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! Oh Grand Marshal, master of combat and releaser of demons, ascend upon the battlefield! Synchro Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200)"

Horse Prince appeared on the field, but his dark blue horse appeared behind Jonas, then slowly started sprinting towards his back, swiftly jumping over Jonas and landing right next to Horse Prince, who then mounted the horse.

"Using the effect of **Horse Prince** , I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 100) from my deck!" - Rooster appeared on the field to the right of Horse Prince, then raised its flame-shaped blade up in the air. Out of it shot a large blue flaming rooster, which flew up and spread its wings much like a phoenix would.

"When Rooster is Special Summoned by the effect of a Fire Fist monster, I can activate its effect, and add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake** from my deck to my hand!" - Jonas said - "But that's not important right now. **Horse Prince** , attack **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb**!" - the horse, and the prince mounted on it, started charging towards Sara's field.

"Not so fast, horsey. I activate **Hieratic Seal of Banishment** , and tribute my **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb**!" - she said, and Jonas looked slightly confused - "Don't think I'm the only one losing monsters. This card also banishes one of your monsters!"

The fire horse charging towards her dematerialized, and Horse Prince fell on the floor face first, before disappearing as well.

"A card called **Seal of Banishment** banishes, how surprising." - Jonas said in a snarky tone of voice - "Luckily I still have one monster..."

"I'm not done yet." - Sara interrupted him - "When **Dragon of Gebeb** is tributed, I can Special Summon 1 Normal Dragon-Type Monster from my deck, and make its ATK and DEF 0. Come forth, **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 0/DEF 0)"

Jonas still looked slightly surprised, this time at the sight of the monster appearing in front of him. Unlike Gebeb from earlier, this wasn't a dragon, but rather a giant golden ball, about the size of a house, with a red eye of Anubis engraved in the very center of it.

"So you summoned this giant... ball... thing, I guess, but I still have an attack left. **Rooster** , attack that thing!" - Rooster only pointed its blade towards the ball, and the flaming rooster behind him went towards it, engulfing the entire monster in flame, before it exploded.

"I set two cards." - Jonas said, ending his turn - "Now show me something a bit more impressive than that."

 **Turn 3 - Sara (LP 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - X)**

"I'll show you impressive! Draw!" - she said - "First off, I activate **Hieratic Seal of Supremacy**!"

A red circle appeared high above the playing field, and down from it descended a giant golden ball.

"It allows me to Special Summon a Hieratic monster from the hand."

"So, you've summoned that thing again, but it has 0 ATK and DEF, you can't really do much with..."

"Just shut up and let me finish my turn." - Sara interrupted him once again.

"Okay, fine!" - Jonas said, as he looked on.

"Next, from my hand, I activate **Return of the Dragon Lords** , which allows me to Special Summon a Level 7 or 8 Dragon-Type monster from my graveyard!" - another Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord appeared on the field, this time coming out of the graveyard.

"Great, she has two giant golden balls now." - Jonas thought - "Wait, they're both Level 8. Well, duh, that's where she's going with this. Took me long enough."

"I overlay my two **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord**! Descend, brilliant thunder dragon! Harness the power of lightning, destroy the pathetic world that lays before you, and gaze upon this beautiful wasteland you've created! Xyz Summon! **Thunder End Dragon**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Rank 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2000)"

A giant dragon appeared, about twice the size of the Seals that were used to make it. The upper part long neck was white, while the bottom was blue, and the dragon's head had horns made out of pure lightning on it. The rest of its body was mostly black, with blue highlights. The dragon roared and spread its large blue wings, and lightning struck the ground behind it, briefly scaring everyone in the audience.

"So she _did_ have a good hand." - Jonas thought - "Now let's see what this thing can do."

"I activate **Thunder End Dragon** 's effect. By detaching one Xyz Material, I can destroy all other monsters on the field! Lightning Purge!" - Sara exclaimed, as Jonas looked on in slight shock.

"So essentially it's a **Dark Hole** that leaves you with a 3000 ATK beater on the field."

"Yeah, pretty much." - Sara replied, as lightning struck the Rooster on Jonas' field, turning it into a pile of ashes, leaving him defenseless.

"Now, **Thunder End Dragon** , attack!" - the dragon opened its mouth, but instead of shooting out a fireball, or any number of attacks a dragon could do, it simply roared again, and Jonas was struck by a powerful lightning bolt.

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 3000 = 1000

" _Okay, not a bad hand at all._ " - Jonas thought, laying on the ground from the impact, before swiftly getting up.

"Also, I activate **Dragon's Gunfire**! Since I control a Dragon-Type monster, I can inflict 800 damage to you." - a slightly weaker lightning bolt struck Jonas this time, almost knocking him down to the ground again.

 **Jonas:** LP 1000 - 800 = 200

"With that, I end my turn. Now, how about _you_ show me something impressive." - Sara said.

 **Turn 4 - Jonas (LP - 200 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 2 set **)**

"Well, now I have to get out of this. Somehow." - Jonas mumbled - "Anyways, I draw!"

He looked at the great dragon standing on Sara's field, and thought "I don't have anything that can beat 3000 ATK, so I'll have to use effects to get rid of it."

He looked at his hand, and saw a line of plays that might just help.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tensu**! This allows me to Normal Summon an additional Beast-Warrior per turn, and I'll use that effect now! I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake**!" - a skinny man appeared, with a blade in his right hand. He was wearing light blue pants and a black chestplate, but other than that his armor was pretty sparse. Finally, he had a large snake made out of orange flame wrapped around his right arm.

"Next, I activate my set **Fire Formation - Kaiyo**! Its effect is unimportant right now, because I use the effect of **Snake**! While I control no other monsters, I can send two Fire Formation cards from my field to the graveyard, and draw 1 card!" - two fireballs, one bright orange, representing Tensu, and one blue, representing Kaiyo, fizzled out, and Jonas drew a card.

"Next, I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1000)" - a heavily armored man with a staff in his left hand appeared, with a large fire gorilla behind him - "But he won't be sticking around for long! I overlay my **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake** and **Gorilla**!" - Jonas pointed towards the sky, as the two monsters turned into flames which combined into one.

"Come forth, oh noble priest, rider of morning mist and the summoner of wind! Descend, dragon in the clouds! Xyz Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 1800/DEF 2200)" - a large bearded man appeared, wearing white robes with golden edges. His right hand was holding a large sword with a golden shaft, pointed towards the sky, and around him flew a large cardinal, made out of white flames with a red head.

"You wouldn't summon something this weak if it didn't have an impressive effect, so do tell." - Sara remarked.

"If you insist! I use **Cardinal** 's effect, and detach 2 Xyz Materials! Next, I'll shuffle **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** and **Fire Formation - Tensu** from my graveyard into the deck!"

"Shuffling into the deck? So what are you going to do now, draw more cards that won't be helpful?" - Sara asked him, with a certain arrogance in her voice.

"Nope! I'm going to shuffle **Dragon's Gunfire** from your graveyard, as well as **Thunder End Dragon** from your field into the deck!"

"Oh, so that's what it does." - Sara got a bit more serious, but still wasn't worried about her situation, as Thunder End Dragon disappeared from her field, turning into a small ball of light that floated into her extra deck.

"And there's more where that came from! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal** , attack! Righteous Fire Rain!" - the cardinal flew up in the air, and went flying over Sara's field, raining fire down upon it.

 **Sara:** LP 4000 - 1800 = 2200

"With that, I end my turn."

 **Turn 5 - Sara** **(LP - 2200 / Hand - 1 / Field - X)**

"Not bad, but you still have only 200 LP. You're just about finished this turn! Draw!" - Sara said, and went to summon the monster she just drew.

"By banishing one LIGHT Dragon and one Normal Dragon from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this monster! I banish **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb** and **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord** , and Special Summon **Hieratic Dragon of Asar**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 7/ATK 2600/DEF 700)" - an entirely green dragon appeared. Its elongated snake-like body was almost entirely covered in bronze armor, leaving only its head, legs and wings exposed.

"It's time to end this! **Hieratic Dragon of Asar** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal**! Underworld Fire!" - the dragon shot a large dark green fireball towards Cardinal.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tensen**!" - Jonas said, just in time before the attack hit - "It gives **Cardinal** an extra 700 ATK, and gives all Beast-Warriors an extra 300 ATK."

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal:** ATK 1800 + 700 + 300 = 2800

Cardinal raised its sword, and hit the fireball back towards Hieratic Dragon of Asar. The dragon let out a short screech, before falling to the floor and disappearing from the field

 **Sara:** LP 2200 - 200 = 2000

"Damn, I couldn't get him!" - Sara thought.

"I'll set one card!" - she said, and ended her turn.

 **Turn 6 - Jonas (LP 200 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal, **Spells/Traps** : Fire Formation - Tensen **)**

"Her field is empty, surely I can win on this turn." - Jonas thought - "Draw!"

"I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear** , and due to **Tensen** , it gains 300 ATK!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear:** ATK 1600 + 300 = 1900

"Battle! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear** , attack!" - a flaming bear started running towards Sara's field, and she fell to the ground from the impact as it hit her.

 **Sara:** LP 2000 - 1900 = 100

"Yes, it went through!" - Jonas thought - "That must mean she has no Traps waiting, so this next attack should finish her off. But first..."

"I activate **Bear** 's effect, and set **Fire Formation - Tenki** from my deck!" - Jonas proclaimed - "But that's unimportant! It's time for the final blow! Go, **Cardinal** , attack!"

The bird next to Cardinal flew up into the air, and just like last time, flew over Sara's field, raining down fire upon her. The field was filled with smoke, and it was hard to see what was going on, but Jonas was conviced he had won.

The smoke cleared, and he was left in shock, as was much of the crowd, as they found out that Sara's life points hadn't hit zero. Not only that, a giant blue and white dragon was standing in front of her, as lightning struck the field repeatedly.

"Welcome back, **Thunder End Dragon**!" - she said, in almost a relaxed tone of voice.

"What... what just happened?" - Jonas asked in confusion which was echoed throughout the entire arena.

(Duel continues in the next chapter.)


	5. The Third One

**Chapter 5 - The Third One**

(Duel continues from chapter 4.)

"What just happened?" - Jonas repeated his question.

"I activated my Trap Card, **Double Dragon Descent**!" - Sara replied - "Because you attacked me directly with an Xyz Monster, it allows me to Special Summon 1 LIGHT Dragon Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck, and since you kindly shuffled **Thunder End Dragon** back in there, I can now bring it back out."

"I see. So she nullified any damage she would've taken with that." - Marco commented.

"Yeah, and **Thunder End Dragon** is much stronger than **Cardinal**. However, since she Special Summoned mid-attack, Jonas has the option to end the..." - Hannah added, but was interrupted by Sara, who overheard her comment.

"He won't have the option to end the attack." - she said - " **Double Dragon Descent** forces the attack to go through, however it makes the ATK of my monster equal to the ATK of the attacking Xyz Monster."

 **Thunder End Dragon:** ATK 2100

The flaming cardinal continued its onslaught, but it could do little against the force of a giant dragon, and despite its best attempts, Cardinal got destroyed.

"Wait, what happened now?" - Jonas asked, still confused - "I thought both monsters would be destroyed."

"Usually they would." - she replied - "But, I used the effect of **Return of the Dragon Lords** in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can prevent one Dragon-Type monster from being destroyed."

"She just has an answer to anything I do, doesn't she?" - Jonas thought.

"Well, it's still my turn!" - he said - "I enter Main Phase 2, and activate **Fire Formation - Tenki** , and using its effect, add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino** from my deck to my hand!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear:** ATK 1900 + 100 = 2000

"I end my turn."

 **Turn 7 - Sara (LP - 100 / Hand - 0 / Field - Monsters:** Thunder End Dragon **)**

"I draw!" - Sara said, then looked at the card she drew - "Another Trap! I can't end it with that!" - she thought, but realized the card is actually going to be immensely useful come next turn.

"I can't end it this turn, but I can bring you one step closer to losing!" - she said - "Battle! **Thunder End Dragon** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! Thunderstorm Annihilation!" - Sara commanded the dragon, as lightning struck the helpless monster on Jonas' field, and left him without any defenses once again.

 **Jonas:** LP 200 - 100 = 100

"This duel is pretty much done within the next two turns. It's just a question of who'll win." - Sara thought.

"Well, I set one card. Your turn." - she said.

 **Turn 8 - Jonas (LP - 100 / Hand - 4 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tensen, Fire Formation - Tenki **)**

"Draw!" - Jonas exclaimed, but couldn't go any further than that, as Sara immediately interrupted him, wasting no time to activate her set Trap.

"I activate **Dragon's Rebirth**! I banish **Thunder End Dragon** , and Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from my graveyard!" - Thunder End Dragon let out one final roar, before turning into a being of pure light and disappearing off the field.

"Rise from the dead! **Hieratic Dragon of Asar**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 7/ATK 2600/DEF 700)" - the green, snake-like dragon covered in bronze armor appeared once more - "Now you can proceed with your turn." - she said.

"How kind of you." - Jonas said sarcastically.

"She thinks she's so clever, replacing a weak monster with a stronger one." - he thought - "Little does she know..."

"Hey, are you going to go on with your turn?" - Sara asked Jonas as she noticed a subtle smile on his face - "Did you luck into drawing the exact card you need to beat me?" - she smirked.

"Sometimes, you have to rely on luck." - Jonas quoted what he had said earlier today - "But today is not one of those times!" - he said, dead serious - "I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1400)"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino:** ATK 1700 + 300 + 100 = 2100

"Oh, the monster you searched. And what's it going to do, its ATK isn't high enough." - Sara said in a snarky tone, trying to appear calm and collected, when she actually knew that Jonas most likely had a plan to end this duel sooner rather than later.

"Battle Phase!" - Jonas said, ignoring her comment - " **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino** , attack **Hieratic Dragon of Asar**!"

"Have you completely given up now?"

"Nope." - Jonas replied - "I activate **Rhino** 's effect! By sending a Fire Formation card and Fire Fist monster to the graveyard, I can increase his ATK by the ATK of the monster I sent to the graveyard! I send **Fire Formation - Tenki** and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Caribou** to my graveyard!" - a giant rampaging blue rhino started charging towards Hieratic Dragon of Asar, steadily increasing in size.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino:** ATK 2100 - 100 + 1100 = 3100

The rhino sped up, and rammed into the dragon with full force, shattering its armor before it dissipated into many green fragments, as the rhino kept charging towards Sara, knocking her down to the ground.

 **Sara:** LP 100 - 100 = 0

As she got up, Jonas walked over to her side of the field, and offered her a handshake, which she reluctantly accepted.

"Good duel." - he said.

"Yeah, you fought well, but I lost."

"You do realize that duels are not all about winning, right? Besides, you're pretty good yourself too."

"Yeah, yeah, stop with all the cliches." - Sara said - "Duels _aren't_ all about winning, but at the end of the day everyone wants to come out on top."

Jonas paused for a bit, taken aback by her comment - "Anyways, good luck in the tournament." - he said.

Sara went to reply, but was interrupted by the speakers coming on once again.

"With the end of this duel, the sign ups for the International Duel Championship have now been closed. As we're sure you all know, it starts in just more than a week. So, with that, we wish good luck to all the participants." - a brief message echoed to the arena, as the bell rang and the students headed back to their classrooms.

* * *

"Sir, are you sure the third one is in this city?" - a deep voice asked a figure that was turned away from him.

"Positive. The scans show it's in the premises of the city." - the man in the shadows replied - "The question is, Damien, why are you unable to find them?"

"Sir, with all due respect, more information would be help..." - Damien started replying, before being interrupted.

"You have enough information." - the voice from the shadows now exhibited a bit of anger - "Now leave, I've got things to do."

"Yes sir!" - Damien replied, and started reluctantly leaving the room. Behind him, the figure that was surrounded by pitch-black darkness a moment ago was engulfed by a bright light, and disappeared from the room within a matter of seconds.

Damien went out on the street. Their hideout was located at the very edge of the city, drawing no attention from anyone, since it looked very much like an ordinary, if slightly delapidated house.

"How am I supposed to find the mysterious "third one" if he doesn't want to give me any sort of information." - he thought, as he slowly headed towards the city center - "Then again, he doesn't seem to be in a rush to find it."

"And where does he go when he just disappears from the room like that?" - Damien asked himself this many times, but never received an answer. He had even asked the mysterious man that question directly, but was met with a reply of "If I told you, you wouldn't understand."

"Like hell I wouldn't understand." - he thought - "What does he think I am, stupid? I found the first two without any help from him, the least he could do is tell me what the hell is going on." - he continued down the sidewalk, as the skyscrapers in the city center loomed ever larger in his eyes - "Then again, I didn't even think teleportation was possible until I met him, so maybe he's right, maybe I wouldn't understand."

Damien continued to wander around aimlessly, randomly looking around for clues around the city, but being unable to find any, unsurprisingly, when he noticed Hannah on the opposite side of the street, presumably heading home, but quickly looked back in front of him.

"Good, she didn't notice me." - he was relieved - "It was a bit stupid of me to just stand around the school after I found out what deck she played, but I'm sure she doesn't suspect anything anyways."

Still he pressed on towards the city, continuing his inner monologue.

"What does he even need you for?" - Damien asked himself, referring to Hannah - "You and the other girl, why are you important? I'd ask him directly, but I'm pretty sure he'd just reply saying I wouldn't understand again, so there's no point."

Damien shrugged, as he stopped at a crossing, waiting for the green light to turn on. He looked down the street, and saw children still exiting the school he stood in front of just yesterday. He looked back at the traffic light, and, noticing it was green, continued walking.

"Well, at the end of the day I don't care, as long as I'm getting paid." - he thought - "I just wish I knew something about this whole operation, instead of just being kept in the dark. But, I guess I just "don't understand" the whole thing."

He was now almost in the city center, as seen by the noticeable increase in amounts of monitors with various advertisements on them, a lot of them only advertising the International Duel Championship.

"When I signed up for this, I thought it'd be over quickly." - Damien continued his inner monologue - "But it's been more than a year and a half now, and I still barely know anything about him. I guess I just don't understand." - he himself was getting sick of repeating that statement, but it was the only explanation he had for the mysterious man not giving him any information.

Damien was almost in the very center of the city, walking down a long street that was headed towards Neo Ragusa's main square, then turning left into one of the smaller streets on the side, took out his keys, and entered his apartment building. He started climbing up the stairs of the twenty-storey building. He didn't have to go far however, as he lived in one of the cheaper apartments on the third floor.

When he entered his small and claustrophobic, but pristinely clean apartment, he stopped wondering about questions he most likely will never get an answer to, and rather shifted his focus towards the upcoming Championship, as he hung his trenchcoat on the coathanger by the door.

"I'll have to be good if I want to beat Majespecters, and maybe find the third one as well." - he thought, opening his deck box - "Luckily, this deck hasn't failed me so far, and I've had it for five years." - he mumbled quietly, spreading the deck on the table in front of him, observing his cards.

"I don't have a problem establishing a good field, not by a long shot, but you never know with Majespecters. I'll have to be careful." - he quickly sorted through his extra deck, then picked everything back up, placed it inside the deck box, which was then placed on a shelf.

"As much as I love getting paid, I hope this entire thing ends soon, so I can get back to living a normal life again." - he said, stepping out onto the balcony, which overlooked the main square - "Well, as normal as it can be."

* * *

Jonas and Daniel were slowly walking towards their homes, done with another school day, jumping from topic to topic, talking about whatever they felt like.

"Hey, have you even managed to qualify for the championship?" - Jonas asked Daniel - "Last I checked you didn't have enough wins."

"Yeah, yesterday after your duel with Hannah I stuck around and won a few duels, so I'm eligible to enter now."

"What's your winning percentage anyways?"

"Sixty percent."

"Oh, right on the cusp. You like living on the edge, don't you?" - Jonas joked, and Daniel followed suit.

"Oh yeah, you know me! I'm a troublemaker!" - he said, and they both laughed.

"So, what's going on between you and Hannah?" - Jonas asked, changing the topic.

"How... how did you know?" - Daniel looked flustered.

"Dude, you're not subtle _at all_." - Jonas replied - "Hell, I'd be surprised if she didn't know. So anyways, is anything going on?"

"N... no." - Daniel looked defeated.

"What, are you scared of talking to her?" - Jonas said, but immediately changed his tone of voice when he noticed Daniel's expression, which was a combination of sadness and a bit of anger - "Well, you have time. Good things never come quickly."

Daniel turned left at the crossing they came up, and started heading towards his parents' house, without even bothering to reply to Jonas.

"That might have come off as a bit mean." - Jonas thought - "Oh well, he'll be back up on his feet tomorrow, I'm sure. And if he isn't, I'll talk to him." - he crossed the road, and continued the walk towards his home, which only took about five minutes.

Jonas unlocked the door, and upon noticing that only one of his parents is home, said "Mom's still at work, huh?"

"Yeah." - his father replied - "They're preparing everything for the IDC broadcast."

"Oh, while we're on that topic, the sign ups ended today." - Jonas said - "Do you happen to know how many people signed up this year?" - he asked his father, who worked for the company organising the event.

"Not all entries have been processed yet, but our estimations come in at slightly over five hundred people." - he replied - "So, how are your preparations going?"

"Oh, my preparations?" - Jonas was slightly surprised to hear the question, as he forgot to tell his parents about his entry into the Championship, before realizing that his surprise was unwarranted, as his father was bound to find out sooner or later - "Preparations are going well. I won the feature duel today against someone else who qualified."

Jonas' father tuned the TV to the news channel he always watched, as his son went upstairs to unpack his things after another school day.

"What happened to you?" - he thought, throwing his bag onto the bed. This was one of the increasingly rare moments where he would remember Carla, who he hasn't seen in nearly seven months now.

He had given up on ever trying to find out what happened, but his memories of her were constantly inside him, surfacing every other month or so. He thought that only his memories would keep Carla in his life, even if he wasn't sure if she was even alive.

"Why did I even like her?" - he would ask himself every time he reminisced of her - "We were polar opposites. She was always early for school, and I was always late for everything. I always just improvised everything, and she had everything planned down to the tiniest detail. Hell, even her deck was the polar opposite of mine."

"Maybe I never liked her in the first place." - he said quietly, knowing his father wouldn't hear him, as the TV was on quite a loud volume - "No, I'm just rambling now." - he shook his head.

"To be honest, I know exactly how Daniel feels. That's how I felt six months ago." - he continued - "But at least the girl he likes is, well, alive."

Jonas once again considered the bleak possibility that Carla was dead, and instead of trying to reason with himself, just sat down at the table opposite his bed, and stared at the ceiling for a while.

"It's Saturday tomorrow. I should be happy that I finally get a break from school, yet I'm wallowing in my own sadness." - he thought, then realized that almost half an hour passed since he came home, and he hasn't even unpacked his things yet.

He got up, walked to his bed, which was only a couple of steps away, and started taking books out of his school bag, placing them on the shelf next to the bed in a neat order, so he could easily find them later. The last thing he took out was his deck box, which he also placed on the shelf, after taking his deck out of it. He shuffled the deck, placed it on the table, and drew a test hand, started making a play, then threw it onto the table in front of him, got up from his chair, and walked over to the bed again.

"You know what, if I want to feel sad, I'll feel sad. No need for pointless distractions." - Jonas said, as he threw himself onto the bed.

"At the end of the day, everyone wants to come out on top." - he remembered Sara's words from earlier today.

"I did say that duels aren't all about winning, but she's right." - Jonas thought - "I'd still trade away all of my wins just to find out what happened on that day." - he whispered, then focused on the ceiling again, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, a million thoughts going through his head.

* * *

Daniel was just done with lunch, so he headed upstairs to his room. He looked over at his working desk, which was stacked with books, with no attention paid to how they're sorted.

"Eh, I'll sort them eventually, it's not a big deal." - he laid down in his bed, as his mind scanned back to what Jonas told him earlier today.

"Jonas didn't phrase it in the kindest way, and I might have been angry at the time, but he's right." - he thought, looking over at his deck, which was sitting atop the night stand next to this bed.

"My deck is filled with warriors." - he said, as he pulled out a random card, which turned out to be Igknight Templar - "They fight for justice and despise the corrupt..." - he read off the card's flavour text - "…and I can't work up the courage to properly talk to her, like it's some grand, impossible feat." - he said, purposefully avoiding mentioning Hannah's name, and placed Templar back into the deck box.

"I'm sure she'd be really nice about it too." - Daniel's monologue continued - "She's a really nice person, that's the thing. I just can't talk to her because…" - he tried to think of a logical reason, but realized that sometimes there just isn't one.

"Well, maybe when I see her next time, maybe I'll tell her then." - he said, conscious of the fact that he said that sentence countless times before, and will say it again with every day that passes, fully aware that he'll never work up the courage.

"Maybe next time..."


	6. Escape Artists

**Chapter 6 - Escape Artists**

A new dawn rose upon a city that is now a husk of what it once was. Barely any sunlight could break through the thick fog that had descended upon the empty streets, making it appear darker than it actually was. Beneath the desolate skyscrapers, down what used to be the most bustling street in the city, walked a thin, almost malnourished young girl, nearly two meters in height, wearing a grey hoodie that blended into the background of dilapidated concrete buildings.

"Another day, no survivors found." - she said out loud, talking to an empty street as her voice bounced off the buildings around her and into the sky.

"Exactly three years to the day when the first person got infected." - she continued, tired from wandering the city, trying to find any signs of life, to no avail - "It seems like such a long time ago now."

She continued walking towards the coast, where she and a few other people were hiding out from the people that were constantly looking for them. She had to continue walking, despite her exhaustion from being up all night, knowing that if she had passed out now, she would probably wake up in some laboratory far away from this desolate wasteland that was once her home.

Continuing towards her hideout, she was looking at the houses around her, that once had families and children in them, but were now completely abandoned. Even though she had seen it countless times before, the sight of these empty buildings always saddened her, as her mind jumped back to the days when they weren't just crumbling husks.

"I activate **Mystical Space Typhoon** , destroying your set card!" - she suddenly overheard a voice say, and took cover behind a house, as she listened in to the duel that was going on, trying to determine whether the person duelling was an ally or foe.

"I'll overlay my Level 4 **Bujingi Crow** and **Bujingi Peacock**! Rise, brother of the Sun and the Moon, and strike fear into the hearts of the unrighteous! Come forth, striking god of summer storms! Xyz Summon, **Bujintei Susanowo**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 1600)"

The monster that appeared was covered in dark red armour with glowing lines all over it, and wielded two swords, one in each hand, the one in right hand much thicker than the one in the left. Behind its helmet was a green circular headpiece, which extended into two bright wings made out of pure light.

"Oh thank god it's him." - she was relieved, but still decided to remain hidden as a precaution, just occasionally poking her head out, to find out her friend was dueling yet another unnaturally pale person with barely any dark grey hair on their head.

" **Bujintei Susanowo** , direct attack!" - the person standing opposite the ghastly figure declared, and the monster charged in that pale man's direction, furiously swinging both its swords as it was ready to attack - "Storming Sword Slash!"

 **Unknown:** LP 2400 - 2400 = 0

The intense force of the impact threw the man back several feet, knocking him unconscious in the process. His opponent walked over to him, and after fiddling with his duel disk for a few seconds, pointed it in his direction. The disk shone brightly for a few seconds, and the man disappeared.

"There we go; I've teleported him back to wherever he came from. He won't remember anything either." - he mumbled, and noticed someone walking towards him. He readied his duel disk, primed for another battle, but quickly put it back down once he realized who the person coming towards him actually was.

"Ella! You scared the hell out of me for a moment there!" - he said, looking at the girl walking towards him.

"Another one bites the dust, huh Niall?" - she asked - "Are you sure the amnesia code on your duel disk is working correctly? We seem to be running into these freaks more and more lately."

"Yeah, I'm sure." - he said - "It might just be luck on their part. Anyway, how did your search go?" - he asked, as they started walking towards their base.

"Not very well. I wandered around the city all night, and found literally no one." - Ella replied - "But honestly I'm not surprised. It's been three years, the chances of anyone still being in the city are incredibly low."

"But there's no harm in looking for them, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." - she shrugged.

They approached the house they and a few other people resided in. It was quite close to the coastline, and a strong northward wind carried the scent of sea salt with it. Ella opened the door first, and her voice echoed through the house, calling out a name, receiving no reply.

"Ian? Where are you?" - she repeated his name a few more times, before turning around to Niall, who was closing the door behind her - "Do you know where he is?" - she asked, taking her hoodie off now that she entered the warmth of their hideout, revealing her long, entirely white hair, going down to about halfway down her back.

"No, he must've gone somewhere while we were out." - Niall answered - "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"But what if he won't be? What if he doesn't come back?"

Niall opened his mouth in an attempt to reply, but was interrupted.

"You were supposed to be watching over him, and now he's out there somewhere, _and you don't even know where!_ " - Ella screamed.

"It's been three years, he can take care of himself."

"But..."

"I know he's the only one you have left, but he's not twelve anymore!" - Niall raised his voice - "Ella, relax. He'll be back before sunset. And if he isn't, I'll go look for him myself."

Ella regained her composure - "I'm sorry I lost my temper." - she said.

"It's fine, I know how much he means to you." - Niall calmed down as well - "But I'm telling you, I'll let the Fiends have him over my dead body."

She took a deep breath, and looked into Niall's green eyes. He smiled, gave her a pat on the head, then started walking upstairs towards his room. Ella instantly followed suit, and slowly went to her room on the bottom floor. She opened the door, and looked at the tattered wooden desk standing beneath the only window in her room. Opposite the desk was a bed, aligned to face the window that filled the room with late morning light, as the fog slowly cleared. She took the grey hoodie, still in her hands, and placed it on the table top, then took her silver duel disk off her arm, and placed it next to the hoodie. She took her deck, which remained unused for another day, out of its slot, and placed it in the table's top drawer, before walking over to the bed and collapsing onto it out of exhaustion.

 **Three hours later**

In the room above Ella's, Niall was just fiddling around with his duel disk, trying to pinpoint Ian's location.

"Where's he snuck off to now?" - he said, while typing in the commands used to find the exact coordinates of a duel disk.

"Now all I need is the ID of his duel disk." - he opened up his deck box, which contained a small piece of paper with several names written on it, each accompanied by a string of 8 numbers. He quickly scanned the paper to find Ian's name.

"00248224" - he typed the ID into the duel disk - "Now let's find him."

Niall watched the loading bar go along for a few seconds, and upon seeing the result that came up, he immediately stormed down the stairs and towards Ella's room. He burst through the door, only to find out that she was still lying on her bed, blissfully sleeping. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook her a few times until she woke up.

"Just let me sleep…" - she mumbled, waving her arm in Niall's direction, almost slapping him.

"Ella, get up!" - he said, barely dodging her hand - "I've located Ian!" - she looked in his direction, still half-asleep, but paying more attention to what he was saying.

"He's outside of the city, I don't even know how…" - he stopped talking, as Ella's eyes widened in shock, and took a few steps back from the bed. She got up from the bed, stood still for a few seconds, then charged towards Niall, pinning him against a wall.

"You were supposed to be in this house, watching over him, but instead you went out for god knows what reason!" - she yelled.

"But…" - Niall desperately tried to get a word in.

"No, _shut up!_ " - she continued, not wanting to be interrupted - "When we came back, you were like " _he can take care of himself_ " and " _I'm sure he'll be fine_ ", and now look what happened." - she backed away from the wall from the wall slightly, as Niall looked at her, genuinely afraid. They had argued before, many times, but it was always about menial things. This time, Ella genuinely looked like she wanted to kill him. They stood motionless for a few seconds, looking at each other.

"It looks like she's calmed down." - Niall thought, and as if on cue, she tried to punch him, instead hitting the wall behind him with full force, as he just barely dodged her fist, and barely had enough time to get to the other side of the room to try and talk to her, as she furiously paced across the room towards him, getting ready to throw a few more punches his way.

"Hey, relax!"

Seeing how his attempts to reason with her yielded no results, and that she hadn't calmed down the slightest bit, he charged back at her, and pinned her against the ground.

"Relax!" - he shouted, struggling to keep her down on the ground - "Do you think I don't know how you feel? I lost my family three years ago too!"

He looked into Ella's bright blue eyes, as she calmed down slightly.

"Do you think I don't care about Ian!?" - he asked - "Of course I do! Did I make a giant mistake? Hell yes I did! You have every right to be angry at me, but anger won't solve anything." - he got back up on his feet, and offered Ella a hand.

"Now dust yourself off, and let's go find him!"

She got up, and looked Niall dead in the eye.

"You idiot." - she said, still fuming, albeit in a much calmer voice than a few minutes ago.

"Guilty as charged." - he said - "I'll go grab a few bottles of water, and you put on some new clothes." - he quickly looked at her clothes, which were covered in dust and dirt, then left the room. As Niall closed the door, Ella quickly took off the clothes she had on her, and put on a basic grey t-shirt and identical, though less dirty pair of jeans. She grabbed her dark grey hoodie off the table she left it on, taking into account the possibility of the search continuing until the evening hours, and exited the room to find Niall already waiting for her by the front door.

"Where's your deck?" - he asked her, just as they were leaving the house, noticing the deck slot on her duel disk was empty.

"I forgot it, just give me a minute." - she went back inside.

Niall watched her close the door, then looked towards the coast. The morning mist had completely cleared by now, and the northerly wind was getting stronger, causing the waves to get taller. He almost forgot about his worries, listening to the waves crash against the rocky coastline, but his rare moment of serenity was interrupted by Ella coming back out of the house, and closing the front door a tad too loudly.

"Let's go!" - she exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's." - Niall replied, slightly disheartened by the fact that he couldn't just continue standing here for eternity, listening to the sounds of the sea.

"Oh yeah, one more thing." - Ella said - "Share his coordinates with me, just in case we get split up."

"Sure." - Niall pressed a few buttons on his duel disk's central unit, and it began transferring the coordinates to Ella's. - "There, you have them." - he said, as the coordinates popped up in the middle of her duel disk's screen.

"Do these update in real time?" - she asked.

"No, I'd have to run the entire procedure again." - Niall answered - "Anyways, we should be good to walk along the coast for about an hour at least."

They walked next to the seaside, spending a good 10 minutes in complete silence, as Niall listened some more to the waves crashing against the coastline, but his moment of peacefulness was once again interrupted by Ella.

"I'm sorry, by the way." - she said.

"About what?" - he asked, still half-stuck in a daydream.

"About earlier. I don't usually get that angry, but…" - she answered, looking down at her feet.

"I said it before and I'll say it again - I understand why you're angry. I messed up."

"Yeah, but I was completely out of line trying to punch you." - she said quietly - "The last thing I need now is to lose you as well."

"There's no "as well" here, you haven't lost Ian. We're finding him, you can take my word" - Niall tried to comfort her - "Besides, if you were responsible for the disappearance of someone I care deeply about, you can bet I'd want to kill you as well." - he joked.

"Thanks. Good to know." - she replied in kind.

After that exchange, neither one of them could think of a way to change the topic, so they just continued walking in silence for about twenty more minutes.

"Where would he even go?" - Niall broke the silence.

"Are you asking me?" - Ella said.

"Yeah."

"How would I know, I was out in the city the entire night, remember?"

"No, I know, I was just thinking… he's your little brother, you know. So I was thinking he may have told you something."

"No, he has never been all that talkative."

"It just confuses me as to why he would even go so far away." - Niall said, as they were slowly reaching the outskirts of the city - "I mean I'm used to him leaving the house without saying anything, but he had never gone too far away until now."

"As I said, he isn't one for talking that much." - Ella said - "And every time I talked to him, he just said one or two words, and then kept on being silent."

Niall looked at Ella, who was staring at the ground. He could tell she was thinking about the possibility of being responsible for her brother's disappearance.

"It's not your fault, you know." - he said, but Ella didn't reply.

"Don't beat yourself up over this. If he didn't want to talk to you, that's his thing." - he continued - "And what if you could have actually done something to help him. We're all very distraught about this entire situation, and we make mistakes. Some are more drastic than others, but we're only human. Mistakes are bound to happen." - he said, referring to him being the entire reason they were on this long walk to the middle of nowhere in the first place - "But at the end of the day, wallowing in your own sadness won't accomplish anything".

Ella still wasn't replying, so Niall decided to drop the topic, and the two once again walked in complete silence, each thinking about their own topic. Niall was focused on not turning off the path he had plotted for them, so they can reach Ian's coordinates in the fastest possible time, while Ella was still thinking about what she possibly could've done to prevent this entire journey.

"I mean, Niall is right, I shouldn't beat myself up about this. But I can't help it. I'm his sister, of course I'm going to feel responsible for whatever happens to him. I blamed him initially, but this entire thing isn't Niall's fault. Sure he could've been at the safe house, watching over him, but I could've been there as well. But instead, I went out on another pointless search. I knew nobody was going to be in that city, but I went searching anyways. Why? I don't know. There's barely any hope of finding survivors left. I could've easily been watching over Ian, but instead I wasted my time chasing an impossible goal. I guess sometimes you just feel the need for escape from this giant wasteland."

She continued thinking about this for the best part of an hour, as they turned away from the coast, and were headed inland. Her train of thought was finally interrupted by Niall.

"We're about ten minutes away. If we don't find him there, I'll run the search again." - he said - "We're getting your brother back." - he looked over at Ella, who was staring at the cloudy sky, barely paying any attention to what he was saying. Niall decided to leave her be, and continued pressing forward to their destination.

Ten more minutes of silence passed.

"This should be where he was at, roughly." - Niall said, as his duel disk was giving off flashes of light at regular intervals, signifying that they had arrived at their destination.

"Ian!" - Ella shouted his name a few times to no avail, in the desperate hope of receiving an answer.

"He must've moved somewhere else." - Niall concluded - "He couldn't have gone far, I'll run the search again." - he said as he sat down on a piece of rubble, and started writing commands into his duel disk.

"The search should be done any second now." - he said after a minute, as the progress bar reached 95% - "There it is, the coordinates have updated."

Ella walked over to him.

"But that's pretty much where we are now." - she said in confusion, looking at the coordinates - "So he's got to be somewhere around here."

She started walking around the area, shouting Ian's name, as Niall zoned out, and looked in front of him, still confused about the whole situation.

"She can look all she wants, but he's not here." - he thought - "But why does my duel disk say he is here. Has there been an error?"

He thought about it some more, before noticing something in the wasteland in front of him. He started running towards that spot, and Ella stopped her search and turned around at the sound of his footsteps, then started following him. He stopped seemingly at random in the middle of the wasteland, then bent over to pick something up.

"I think I know why the program's been showing us these coordinates the entire time." - he said, then turned around, holding a black and silver duel disk in his hand. Ella gasped as she realized what that was, then buried her head in her hands, and started crying.

"That's his disk, but where is he?" - she said, though her words were barely audible, and were constantly interrupted by sobs.

"I don't know, but I said I'm going to find him. And that, I will." - Niall replied.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Ian?" - he thought.


	7. Collision Course

**Chapter 7 - Collision Course**

Marco woke up at just before eight in the morning, which was unusually early for a Sunday. It was for a very good reason though - his round one duel in the International Duel Championship was scheduled to start in around four hours, and he needed time to prepare. After the usual morning routine, he turned on his computer to check the pairings for round one.

"It just occurred to me, I haven't even checked who my opponent is yet." - he thought - "Not that it really matters, since I don't know what they'd play anyway."

While he waited for the computer to boot up, he received a text message from Jonas.

"When does your duel start? I'll come by and watch if you don't mind." - it read.

"4 hours. I presume your duel was yesterday?" - Marco sent back a reply.

"Yeah, against some dude playing Genex, easy win. Who are you dueling?" - Jonas asked.

"I'm checking that now."

"As prepared as always I see. Anyways, I'll come by your place before the duel starts." - Jonas sent one final reply, as Marco opened up the IDC website, and started looking for his name.

"There it is. And my opponent is…" - he paused for a second - "…Levi Heidrich. Never heard of him."

Marco grabbed the deck box right next to him, and took his deck out.

"I mean it's round 1, it won't be that hard to get through." - he said, looking at the top card of his deck, which was Deskbot 009 - "Right?"

He was quietly worried, perhaps too much so, about being paired up with someone he has no chance of beating immediately in round one, even though he knew the odds of that were fairly low.

He spent the next three hours drawing test hands and revising his deck, and they went by in a flash.

"Maybe I should put in an additional **Gear Gigant X**." - he thought - "No, wait, I'm rambling. I only have three 004s in my deck anyways, how would I summon it?" - he put his head in his hands out of desperation, then heard a knock on the door. His parents weren't home, so he went down to see who it is himself.

"Jonas!" - he exclaimed in surprise of seeing his friend at the door - "Wait, is it already eleven?"

"Yep!" - Jonas replied - "Did you lose track of time?"

"I totally did."

"Well, better get ready. Your duel's in a small arena at the edge of town, it'll take us a bit to get there."

"Yeah, let me just get my deck."

Jonas waited at the front door for about a minute, as he heard faint noises of Marco scrambling around upstairs, trying to find his duel disk.

"I swear, if I hadn't come around he would've been so late." - he thought, as he watched his friend rush down the stairs.

"Let's go." - Marco said.

"So, who are you dueling?" - Jonas asked.

"Some guy named Levi Heidrich." - Marco replied - "No idea who he is. What about you?" - he looked over in Jonas' direction.

"Never heard of him either." - he replied.

They spent the next half an hour chatting about the tournament, then something crossed Marco's mind.

"How are the others doing?" - he asked - "I forgot to check up on them."

"Hannah's duel is scheduled at exactly the same time as yours, so we won't know about her until that's done, but Daniel won his round one duel." - Jonas answered - "I texted him to ask if he'll come around and watch but he didn't reply. Maybe he has something else to do today."

"I wonder what it could be." - Marco said absentmindedly.

"Yeah, I wonder." - Jonas smirked - "I wonder who else he'd be watching today."

Marco pretty much ignored his comment, instead thinking about his own duel as they slowly approached their destination.

The arena itself was tiny, barely bigger than the main one in their school. As they slowly walked in through the front entrance, they noticed that it was somehow even smaller on the inside. The stands around the duel field, which looked like they could barely seat a hundred people, were practically empty, as only one person showed up to watch this duel.

"Hi guys!" - the person waved from the stands, as Jonas climbed up to sit next to them, leaving Marco to prepare for his duel.

"I thought you wouldn't show up." - Jonas said - "Why didn't you reply to my text?"

"I read it, and then just forgot." - Daniel gave a brief answer.

"Why are you here anyways?" - Jonas asked.

"I just thought I'd come support my friend, why are you asking?"

"I just thought you'd be off watching Hannah, that's all."

"Shut up." - Daniel said, then pointed his finger at Jonas, and paused for a bit, as if he wanted to follow up what he said, but instead just repeated his previous words - "Shut up."

Jonas only laughed in reply, and they both looked at the right side of the duel field, where Marco was standing, getting more worried by the second.

"Where is this guy?" - he muttered - "And I thought I'd be late."

Just as he said that, he overheard footsteps, and as if on cue, Levi entered the arena.

"Sorry I'm late. Let's just get this over with quickly." - he said, readying his duel disk.

"Well that's a bit rude. Is he not expecting a fight?" - Marco thought, looking at his opponent. He was about a head shorter than him, and resembled a twelve-year-old child in every way bar his voice, which was that of an adult, and despite his name, contained no hint of a German accent. He had short, brown hair with sparse red streaks in it, wore a bright green t-shirt and blue jeans - a combination of colours that was almost painful to look at. His duel disk matched his appearance, with a bright green solid vision blade, a blue frame and a red central unit.

"Well, I'll give him a good fight." - Marco thought, and readied his duel disk, which was much simpler than Levi's, with a white frame and central unit and a rainbow-coloured blade.

 **IDC - Round 1 - Duelists remaining: 512**

"Duel!" - they both exclaimed simultaneously.

"I'll take the first turn!" - Marco said.

 **Turn 1 - Marco (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - he observed his hand.

"Not bad." - he thought - "I didn't draw **Deskbot 003** but I can work with this."

"Could you hurry up already?" - a voice came from the other side of the arena.

"Sorry I have to think!" - Marco shouted back at him - "He's really starting to get on my nerves and I only met him a few minutes ago." - he mumbled.

"Since you're in such a rush, I'll summon **Deskbot 002**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a familiar small green robot appeared in front of Marco, sporting a yellow visor with the number 002 on it, and a mechanical pencil instead of a gun.

"Aw, look at the cute little robot." - Levi said.

"Next, I'll activate **Machine Duplication**!" - Marco decided to ignore him - "It allows me to Special Summon two more Machine-Type monsters with 500 or less ATK from my deck, as long as they have the same name as one already on my field. So come out, two **Deskbot 002**!"

"Your useless robots are multiplying." - Levi continued to mock Marco's plays, much to the latter's annoyance.

"When **Deskbot 002** is Special Summoned, I can add one Deskbot card from my deck to my hand, and since two were summoned, that means two searches." - Marco said, and revealed the two cards he was adding to his hand - "How's that for useless?" - he asked, but Levi just yawned in reply.

"Now I'll place the two cards I just added to my hand, the Scale 1 **Deskbot 008** and Scale 10 **Deskbot 007** in my Pendulum Zones, and set the Pendulum Scale!" - two bright white pillars appeared either side of him - the one on the left had Deskbot 008 in it, a pink robot with a small book in its right hand, and on the right Deskbot 007, a predominantly yellow robot wielding two halves of a pair of scissors, one in each hand.

"Using this, I'll Pendulum Summon **Deskbot 009**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 9/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a robot appeared, much larger in size than the ones around him, yet still comparatively small. Its body was covered in various household objects - it had a stapler on its shoulder, a paint brush in its left hand and a large pair of scissors in the right.

"More low-ATK monsters, eh?" - Levi said, and Marco barely stopped himself from yelling obscenities in his direction.

"Not for long." - Marco replied - "First of all, each **Deskbot 002** gives all Machine-Type monsters other than itself a 500 ATK boost."

 **Deskbot 002 (x3):** ATK 500 + 1000 = 1500

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 500 + 1500 = 2000

"Next, I'll use the effect of **Deskbot 009**. Until the end of your turn, it gains the combined ATK of all other Deskbot monsters on the field."

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 2000 + 1500 + 1500 + 1500 = 6500

"Their ATK is not so low anymore, is it?" - Marco said joyfully - "I end my turn."

"Let's see if he's as good as he thinks he is, or is just full of himself." - he thought.

"Oh, it's finally my turn." - Levi said, clearly thinking that Marco's turn took too long.

"He's a bit of a douche, isn't he?" - Daniel commented in the stands, and looked at Jonas briefly, who just nodded.

 **Turn 2 - Levi (LP 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - Levi said.

"Unlike you, I won't dawdle around." - he continued - "Because I control no monsters, I can Special Summon **Super Quantum Red Layer** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 800) from my hand!" - a large warrior appeared in front of him. Its armour was almost entirely red, apart from a few grey armour plates on its torso, thighs and shoulders, and it had metal claws attached to both its arms.

"Next up, I Normal Summon **Super Quantum Green Layer**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1400)" - another person appeared next to Red Layer. His armour, sparser than Red Layer's, was entirely green, and he wore two capes - one shorter one around his neck, and a longer one around his waist.

"When **Green Layer** is summoned, I can Special Summon another Super Quantum monster from my hand, so come forward, **Super Quantum Red Layer**!" - another red warrior appeared on the field, to the left of the one that was already there.

"Not done yet!" - Levi said, even though nobody was interrupting his turn - "I overlay my 2 Level 5 **Super Quantum Red Layers**! Come forth, majestic fire beast, and turn your enemies to ashes! Xyz Summon! **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger**! (FIRE/Machine/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 2000)" - the monster that appeared was simple in design compared to the monsters it was made out of. Simply put, it resembled a red mechanical lion.

"Is it now my time to point out that none of your monsters have enough ATK to get past **Deskbot 009**?" - Marco asked, poking fun at Levi's earlier statements.

"Who said I was going for **009**?" - he replied - "First off, I'll use **Magnaliger** 's effect. I detach one Xyz Material, and destroy one monster on the field. Let's get rid of that pesky **Deskbot 002**!" - the mechanical lion started charging towards the helpless Deskbot 002, stepping on it and turning it into a pile of desk supplies, before returning back to Levi's field.

 **Deskbot 002 (x2):** ATK 1500 - 500 = 1000

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 6500 - 500 = 6000

"I must admit; I wasn't expecting him to do that." - Marco thought - "I expected him to go for **009** , so I could use its effect, but this is fine."

"Battle Phase! Let's get rid of the other two **002s**!" - Levi exclaimed, then mumbled - "Wow, that was a weird sentence."

Magnaliger once again charged towards Marco's field, stomping the defenceless Deskbot 002, while Green Layer shot a green flame out of its fist which consumed the sole remaining 002, and turned it into a pile of ashes instead of a pile of pencils.

 **Marco:** LP 4000 - 1600 - 1100 = 1300

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 6000 - 500 - 500 = 5000

"Okay, so he _is_ good. But I'm not out for the count yet." - Marco thought.

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn!" - Levi said - "Let's see you bounce back from this one. But first, the effect of **Deskbot 009** wears off."

 **Deskbot 009:** ATK 5000 - 4500 = 500

 **Turn 3 - Marco (LP - 1300 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Deskbot 009, **Pendulum Cards:** Deskbot 007, Deskbot 008 **)**

"Draw!" - Marco said, then looked at the card he drew - " **Deskbot 003** , how nice to see you! A bit late, but still nice." - he thought, and proceeded to summon it.

"Come forth, **Deskbot 003**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 500) And since you're in such a hurry, I'll use its effect immediately, allowing me to Special Summon another Deskbot from my deck - so come out, **Deskbot 001**! (EARTH/Machine/Tuner/Level 1/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - to the left of Deskbot 009 appeared 003, a yellow bot much smaller than it, with a ruler and a compass as weapons. On its right was an even smaller blue robot, with a green pencil in its hand in place of a sword, and a pencil sharpener for a torso.

"Next, **Deskbot 001** gains 500 ATK for each Machine-Type monster on the field…"

 **Deskbot 001:** 500 + 1000 = 1500

"But it doesn't matter, because he won't be sticking around for long. I tune my Level 1 **Deskbot 001** and Level 9 **Deskbot 009**! Synchro Summon! **Deskbot Jet**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 10/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a giant blue pencil case appeared, being piloted by Deskbot 001. Deskbots 003, 004 and 005 were on the lower platform of the case, operating its various weapons, most of which were pencils. A purple robot, name of Deskbot 006, was slightly above them, in charge of the jet's thrusters, and Deskbot 002 left its workstation and was just running around the ship.

This chaotic, yet silly sight, didn't stick around for long.

"I activate the effect of **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger**! I detach the second Xyz Material, and destroy Deskbot Jet." - Magnaliger changed its attack compared to last time, as Jet was too big for it to stomp. Its mechanical mouth absorbed the red orb representing its last Xyz Material, and shot a large red fireball towards Deskbot Jet, eradicating it in an instant.

"Now I've destroyed your boss monster, what are you going to do?" - Levi gloated.

"Come on, I'm not that stupid." - Marco replied, much to Levi's surprise - "I wanted you to destroy **Jet** , so my next monster can be safe! Using my set Pendulum Scales, I Pendulum Summon **Deskbot 007**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 7/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a bright yellow robot appeared, same as the one in his Pendulum Scale.

"So this was your big plan." - Levi said, and wanted to start mocking Marco again, but was briefly interrupted.

" **Deskbot 007** gains 500 ATK for each Deskbot in the graveyard!" - Marco said, and Levi's eyes widened - "I count 3 **002s** , and one each of **Deskbot 001** , **009** and **Deskbot Jet**! I presume you can do basic maths, right?"

 **Deskbot 007:** ATK 500 + 3000 = 4500

"Battle Phase! **Deskbot 007** , attack **Super Quantum Green Layer**!" - Marco exclaimed, but his attack was swiftly stopped.

"And I presume you were expecting a Trap Card! I activate **Zero Gravity** , which changes the battle positions of all monsters on the field, and stopping your attack!"

 **Deskbot 003:** DEF 500

 **Deskbot 007:** DEF 500

 **Super Quantum Green Layer:** DEF 1400

 **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger:** DEF 2000

"Damn it, still can't get him. At least my monsters are safe now." - Marco thought - "I end my turn." - he said.

"Good! Time to end this!"

 **Turn 4 - Levi (LP 4000 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Super Quantum Green Layer, Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger, **Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"Draw! The stage is set for my victory! I don't even need any of the cards in my hand to beat you!" - Levi said.

"He's so confident, but all of Marco's monsters are in defense, how is he going to win?" - Daniel asked, and looked at Jonas, who was intently focused on the duel.

"He's arrogant, but he's good. Very good." - Jonas replied - "He's got to have something up his sleeve to back up that confidence."

Levi pointed at Magnaliger on his field, sitting down in defense position, and said:

"See **Magnaliger** here? He's powerful, but power is pointless without someone who can use it well. He needs an Xyz Material to be attached to him to attack, simply put, he needs a pilot."

"Maybe he doesn't have anything left." - Daniel said, but Levi immediately continued.

"I use the effect of **Magnaliger** , allowing me to attach one Super Quantum monster from my hand or field to it as Xyz Material. **Super Quantum Green Layer** , reporting for duty! Step forward, and pilot this magnificent beast!"

Green Layer turned into a green orb of light, which started orbiting around Magnaliger, as Levi changed the monster into attack position.

"Next up, I activate **Super Quantal Mech Sword Magnaslayer**!" - a bright rainbow-coloured glow surrounded Magnaliger - "When activated, **Magnaslayer** turns into an Equip Card, equipped to **Magnaliger** , and it gives it 100 ATK for each of its Ranks!"

 **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger:** ATK 2600 + 500 = 3100

"Battle Phase! **Magnaliger** , attack **Deskbot 003**!" - the red lion started charging towards 003, but suddenly changed direction, and started charging towards the other yellow robot on Marco's field.

"Wait, what happened?" - Levi asked, clearly confused.

"While **Deskbot 007** is on the field, it's the only Deskbot monster you can attack!" - Marco answered.

"Minor inconvenience. **Mech Sword Magnaslayer** allows the equipped monster to deal piercing damage, and both of your monsters have the same DEF, so your days are numbered anyways!" - Magnaliger continued its charge, ramming into Deskbot 007 with such force that the tiny robot disintegrated. Levi patiently looked on, and waited for Marco's life points to drop to 0, and was shocked when the display next to him came up.

 **Marco:** LP 1300 - 600 = 700

"This is why you shouldn't get too arrogant." - Marco said victoriously.

"How… how are you not done for?" - he asked.

"I activated the effect of **Deskbot 003** , which boosts the stats of one Deskbot on the field by 500 for each Deskbot card on the field. Both ATK _and_ DEF, so 007's DEF went up to 2500 as you attacked." - Marco explained, then looked over at Levi, who looked no less confident of his victory, much to Marco's surprise.

" _Another_ minor inconvenience." - his opponent screamed, and his voice almost cracked - " _Will you stop resisting already?_ "

Daniel couldn't help but throw in another comment from the stands, this time under his breath because he was afraid Levi might hear him.

"Is this guy insane? His turn is practically over." - he mumbled, but was once again immediately proven wrong.

"Not done yet!" - Levi shouted.

"Like hell you're not done mate, you have no monsters left to attack with!" - Daniel raised his voice.

"But I'm not! I said at the start of the turn I can beat you with only the cards I have on my field, and I will!" - Levi said, and the three other people in the arena looked at him in confusion - "I activate the effect of **Super Quantal Mech Sword Magnaslayer** , and send it to the graveyard!"

 **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger:** ATK 3100 - 500 = 2600

"By sending it to the graveyard, I allow the monster that was once equipped with this card to make _two_ additional attacks this Battle Phase!"

The mood in the arena changed instantly.

"No way." - Marco, Daniel and Jonas all proclaimed, with near simultaneity.

"Now, **Magnaliger** , attack once more!" - Levi paid no attention to their comments, and continued with his turn, sending Magnaliger charging towards the helpless Deskbot 003.

"One attack left!" - he yelled, with a hint of insanity in his voice - " **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger** , direct attack!" - the red lion started charging with greater speed than all of its previous attacks, and rammed into Marco full force, knocking him back close to the edge of the arena.

 **Marco:** LP 700 - 700 = 0

 **Round 1 winner: Levi Heidrich**

"Finally done with this." - Levi calmed down, and slowly started walking towards the exit of the arena, as Daniel rushed down from the stands, Jonas calmly following him. Despite Daniel's urgency, Marco was perfectly fine, and got up on his feet a few seconds later.

"Are you OK?" - Daniel asked anyway.

"Yeah, I'm fine." - Marco said - "That guy's quite something isn't he?"

"Quite." - Jonas said - "He didn't even lose any life points. Definitely have to watch out for him I reckon."

"I bet you guys are disappointed." - Marco looked down at the floor.

"Not disappointed. Bad days happen. If anything, you should be grateful that you lost this early, when only the two of us were watching." - Jonas said quickly, not allowing Marco to get himself down.

"Thanks for the consolidation, I guess."

Daniel wanted to add something to the conversation, but felt something vibrate in his back pocket. He looked at his phone to find out Hannah sent him a text. The message was short and quite clear.

"I won!" - it read.

"It seems our resident Majespecter player is having more luck than you." - Daniel said, showing the two around him the message.

"Well I'm glad someone is." - Marco was less upset, though still visibly disappointed about his loss, and the group started walking towards the exit.


	8. Thunderstruck

**Chapter 8 - Thunderstruck**

Jonas was headed to the same arena he was in about a week ago, when Marco lost his duel. He was on his way to his round two duel, and hoped that some of his friends would be able to cheer him on, but they all had duels scheduled at the exact time as his, so he was only joined by Marco.

"Are you worried?" - Marco asked him.

"No, why would I be worried?" - he replied - "It's only round 2."

"That's what I thought last week, and I got destroyed."

"Point taken, but I feel prepared enough to take on anyone."

"Who are you even playing against?"

"This Alessandro Galvani guy." - Jonas replied as they both entered the arena, which was looking just as empty as it was last week - "Never heard of him. I would presume he's Italian."

"You would presume right." - a voice came from the stands - "Which one of you is Jonas Nielsen?"

Jonas looked at the tall man in slight confusion, as he slowly came down the stairs leading to the duel field. He was tan, had short blonde hair, and was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and white pants - a combination of clothing that nearly blinded Jonas at first because of the sun reflecting off it. As Jonas predicted, he had an Italian accent, but was good enough at annunciating his words that the accent was barely noticeable.

"I am." - Jonas said, as Marco headed for the stands.

"Shall we get started then?" - Alessandro asked.

"You're not one for waiting around I take it." - Jonas commented.

"No, I'm not. Waiting is a waste of time." - his opponent said, as he readied his duel disk, which was entirely blue - a dark blue central unit and frame, and a light blue solid vision blade - "Good luck. You'll need it." - he joked.

"He seems nice. Nicer than the guy I dueled, at least." - Marco thought as he sat down in the empty stands and watched the two get ready.

 **IDC - Round 2 - Duelists remaining: 256**

"Duel!" - they both exclaimed.

 **Turn 1 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll go first!" - Jonas said - "And since you don't like waiting around, I'll make this quick! I activate **Fire Formation - Tensu** , which allows me an additional Normal Summon per turn, as long as I'm summoning a Beast-Warrior monster, and also gives all my Beast-Warriors an extra 100 ATK." - an orange fireball appeared on the playing field, right in front of Jonas - "Immediately, I'll Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 100)" - a black haired man appeared, covered in equally black armour, and wielding a flame-shaped blade, and a giant fiery rooster shot up into the air behind him.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster:** ATK 1500 + 100 = 1600

His opponent looked on quietly, making no comment, and calmly waiting for Jonas to finish his turn.

"Next, I'll use the effect of **Rooster**! I send **Tensu** to the graveyard, and replace it with another Fire Formation from my deck! I activate **Fire Formation - Tenki**!" - the orange fireball from earlier was replaced by a yellow one - " **Tenki** allows me to add a Beast-Warrior monster from my deck to my hand, and I know just the card. I add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**!"

Jonas paused to catch his breath, as his opponent patiently observed everything he was doing.

"I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200)" - Jonas said, as a humanoid creature, made of black flame and being held together by sparse silver armour, appeared in front of him.

"Wait I thought you already Normal Summoned this turn." - Alessandro said, perplexed.

"Remember, **Tensu** allows me to Normal Summon an extra Beast-Warrior per turn, and I used its effect to summon **Rooster**. This here is just my regular Normal Summon." - Jonas answered, briefly running through the combo.

"Ah, I forgot. Carry on." - Alessandro continued to observe Jonas' plays.

"Next I'll tune my Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** with my Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! Oh Grand Marshal, master of combat and releaser of demons, ascend upon the battlefield! Synchro Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200)"

Horse Prince appeared in front of Jonas, waiting for its dark blue horse to materialize next to him.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit:** ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300

"Oh, a Synchro Summon! Haven't seen one of those in a while!" - Alessandro commented, all giddy.

"Almost done!" - Jonas said - "When **Horse Prince** is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 3 FIRE monster from my deck! Come forth **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/ATK 200/DEF 1500)" - a man appeared, with shoulder length black hair, wearing black armour with a golden outline and a blue shirt underneath it. He resembled Rooster in many ways, but instead of holding a blade in his hand, he instead held a bow. Hawk readied a flaming arrow, drew his bow back, and fired the arrow into the air, as it turned into a bright yellow fiery hawk, which majestically circled the field a few times before settling down next to its owner, who was now kneeling down in defense position.

"While **Hawk** and a Fire Formation card are on the field, all of my Fire Fist monsters gain an additional 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** ATK 2300 + 500 = 2800

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk:** DEF 1500 + 500 = 2000

"I end my turn with that!" - Jonas said - "He seems quite eager to get going, so let's see what he can do." - he thought.

 **Turn 2 - Alessandro (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Let's go!" - Alessandro shouted, a bit too overenthusiastically, as he drew his card.

"To kick things off, I'll activate **Foolish Burial**! It allows me to send one monster from my deck to the graveyard." - he said.

Jonas almost interrupted him to say that he knows what Foolish Burial does, but figured he'd return the favour, and stay quiet during his opponent's turn.

"I'll use it to send **Batteryman 9-Volt** to the graveyard!"

"Oh, Batteryman… interesting." - Marco thought, as he observed the duel - "I've vaguely heard of them. They're a bit similar to Deskbots, focusing on swarming and OTKs. It'll be interesting to see what he does next."

"What I'll do next is activate **Battery Charger**! By paying 500 life points, I can Special Summon the monster I just sent to the graveyard! Come out, **Batteryman 9-Volt** (LIGHT/Thunder/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000)" - a metallic silver battery with four orange and blue limbs appeared. Its head was mostly painted in the same orange colour as its limbs, and it had painted on yellow eyes surrounded by a blue outline. On its forehead was a small white recycling sign.

 **Alessandro:** LP 4000 - 500 = 3500

"When **9-Volt** is summoned, I can add one Batteryman monster from my deck to my hand, then double **9-Volt** 's ATK and DEF!"

 **Batteryman 9-Volt:** ATK 1000 x 2 = 2000

"I add **Batteryman Charger** (LIGHT/Thunder/Level 5/ATK 1800/DEF 1200) to my hand, which I'll immediately Tribute Summon!" - a similar battery to 9-Volt appeared, this time slightly larger, and more square than rectangular. It had pink limbs coming out of it, and an elongated, pill-shaped pink head.

"When **Charger** is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Batteryman monster from my deck! Come, **Batteryman Fuel Cell**! (LIGHT/Thunder/Level 6/ATK 2100/DEF 0)" - much like Charger, Fuel Cell also had pink limbs, but with a rounder head. Instead of a battery, its body was made out of a metallic casing filled with acid with two electrodes in it.

"Before I go into the Battle Phase, I must inform you that **Batteryman Charger** gains 300 ATK and DEF for each Thunder monster on the field." - Alessandro said, as the small power bar in the middle of Charger's body filled up.

 **Batteryman Charger:** ATK 1800 + 600 = 2400

"Now, time to battle!" - he pointed at Jonas with vigour - " **Batteryman Fuel Cell** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk**!" - Fuel Cell lowered its hands onto the floor, releasing an electric current that travelled towards Hawk, and electrocuted it.

"When **Hawk** is destroyed, I can set 1 Fire Formation card directly from my deck!" - Jonas said, as he placed another card in his duel disk's central unit - "And I search another copy of **Fire Formation - Tenki**!"

"But don't forget that **Hawk** also had another effect, which now wears off." - Alessandro added.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** ATK 2800 - 500 = 2300

"Now, **Batteryman Charger** , attack **Horse Prince**!" - unlike Fuel Cell next to it, Charger opted for a more direct approach when it came to attacking. It stood still for a few seconds, letting its attack charge up, then shot two bright flashes of electricity out of its arms, and straight towards Horse Prince.

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 100 = 3900

"Finally, I'll set two cards, and end my turn." - he said, as two face-downs appeared vertically in front of him.

 **Turn 3 - Jonas (LP - 3900 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 2 Fire Formation - Tenki (1 set) **)**

"You're not half bad, I'll give you that, clearing my field in one turn." - Jonas said, and Alessandro looked flattered - "But I'm not out of this duel by a long shot. Draw!"

"Oh fantastic." - Jonas looked at his hand - "I can do some damage with this."

"First off, I'll activate my set **Fire Formation - Tenki**! I assume you know what it does, so I'll just use its effect to add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** from my deck to my hand!" - Jonas' field now contained two bright yellow fireballs.

"Next, I activate **Fire Formation - Yoko**." - a light purple fireball appeared in between two yellow ones - "Now, I can destroy your **Batteryman Charger** by discarding 1 Beast-Warrior from my hand!" - Charger spontaneously combust into purple flame, then violently exploded with a loud bang.

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1400)" - a large, black bearded man appeared, half of his almost perfectly round body was covered in black armour, and a large purple boar was running around him.

"Oh, a Tuner!" - Alessandro commented - "But you don't have anything else on the field."

"Slight correction." - Jonas said - "I don't have anything on my field _yet_. I activate the effect of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo** in my graveyard!"

"Since when is that in the graveyard?"

"I discarded it to activate **Yoko**." - Jonas briefly explained - "Now, I'll send **Yoko** and **Tenki** to the graveyard, and Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000) from my graveyard!" - another muscular man appeared, wearing sparse silver armour only on his hands, legs and torso, as if to show off his physique. He held a couple of orange and silver tomahawks in both his hands, and had a large blue buffalo as his faithful companion, which stood to the left of him.

"Now I'll tune my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** with my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo**! Shine, star of strength! Descend, oh jade general, lead the empyreal spirits towards their untimely demise, and sow despair upon this battlefield! Synchro Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 8/ATK 2000/DEF 2800)" - a man appeared with a murderous stare in his eyes. His long, black beard went down towards his chest, which was covered in black armour, while the rest of his body was covered in jade robes. He held a dark red staff with a light blue orb on the top of it with both hands, and around him sprinted a small unicorn, roughly a third of his height, made entirely of pitch-black flames.

"You summoned **Kirin**? Wrong deck, mate!" - Marco couldn't help but comment from the stands and laughed, as Jonas stared directly at him for a couple of seconds, as if to say - "That joke's not nearly as funny as you think it is."

"When **Kirin** is Synchro Summoned, I can set 1 Fire Formation card from my deck!" - Jonas said, placing the card in the Spell and Trap slot on his central unit - "This one should be familiar as well! I activate **Fire Formation - Tensu** , which if you recall allows me one additional Normal Summon of a Beast-Warrior per turn."

"Yeah, I remember." - Alessandro said, carefully watching Jonas' every move.

"I'll use that effect right now, and Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - Jonas placed Bear on his duel disk, and the familiar black-armoured man appeared, with a large orange bear following his every move - "Now I'll go through a few effects. First of all, I have two Fire Formations on the field, which means a total ATK boost of 200!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin:** ATK 2000 + 200 = 2200

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear:** ATK 1600 + 200 = 1800

"Next, the effect of **Kirin** decreases the ATK of all of your monsters by 100 for each face-up Spell or Trap I control!"

 **Batteryman Fuel Cell:** ATK 2100 - 200 = 1900

"Now it's time for battle! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin** , attack **Batteryman Fuel Cell**!" - the black unicorn charged towards Fuel Cell, and despite its inferior size, managed to pierce the glass part of its casing, subsequently spilling acid everywhere and causing Fuel Cell to explode, though less violently than Charger earlier.

 **Alessandro:** LP 3500 - 300 = 3200

"Next up, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear** attacks directly!" - Jonas said, as Bear already started preparing its attack, but was interrupted by Alessandro.

"Not quite!" - he said - "I've got my two Trap Cards, and I'll use them now!" - both cards that were set in front of him now activated.

"First off, **Wattcannon**! This card deals 600 damage to you each time a Level 4 or lower Thunder-Type monster is Normal or Special Summoned!"

Jonas looked on, confused as to why that card stopped his attack.

"More importantly, I activate **Portable Battery Pack** , allowing me to Special Summon two Batteryman monsters from the graveyard!"

"Oh, so that's what happened." - Jonas thought, as 9-Volt and Charger appeared back on the field.

"Now, the effects of **Batteryman 9-Volt** and **Wattcannon** activate! First of all, I search **Batteryman Industrial Strength** using **9-Volt** , and second, **Wattcannon** deals you 600 points of damage."

Jonas barely managed to keep up with everything Alessandro was saying, as a brightly coloured cannon aimed towards Jonas, and shot out a powerful lightning bolt, shocking him, both physically and figuratively.

 **Jonas:** LP 3900 - 600 = 3300

"Not quite done yet!" - Jonas said, as he recovered from the damage he was just dealt - "I use the effect of **Bear** , and send **Fire Formation - Tenki** to the graveyard to destroy **Batteryman Charger**!" - the fireball representing Tenki grew in size, and shot towards Charger, causing it to violently explode once again.

"Now I'm done." - Jonas ended his turn.

"During the End Phase, **Batteryman 9-Volt** destroys itself." - Alessandro said, as 9-Volt exploded in front of him, taking Portable Battery Pack with it - "It's a prototype you see, not quite up to its full potential. But it's not much of a problem."

 **Turn 4 - Alessandro (LP - 3200 / Hand - 2 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Wattcannon **)**

"My turn! Draw!" - Alessandro looked at his hand - "Not a bad field you have there, but now it's my time to dismantle it! Remember that monster I searched using **9-Volt**?" - he asked.

"Not quite, but I presume you're going to bring it out." - Jonas answered.

"Correct." - Alessandro replied - "By banishing two Batteryman monsters from my graveyard, in this case **Charger** and **Fuel Cell** , I can Special Summon **Batteryman Industrial Strength**! (LIGHT/Thunder/Level 8/ATK 2600/DEF 0)" - what appeared was a large grey car battery, mounted on a single wheel yet somehow maintaining balance. Its head resembled an on/off switch, and two wires with clamps at the end of them came out of its back. Its right hand held the red wire, and its left hand held the blue one.

"Now, I'll Normal Summon, **Batteryman AA**! (LIGHT/Thunder/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - a much smaller monster compared to Industrial Strength materialized next to it. Its appearance was almost dominated by its large orange limbs and orange head with green eyes, which were all loosely attached to a single AA battery.

" **Batteryman AA** gains 1000 ATK for each copy of itself on the field, provided they're all in attack position!"

 **Batteryman AA:** ATK: 0 + 1000 - 100 = 900

"Also, don't forget, since I summoned a Level 4 or lower Thunder monster, **Wattcannon** will deal some damage!"

 **Jonas:** LP 3300 - 600 = 2700

"But now comes the real deal!" - Alessandro shouted - "By banishing 1 Thunder-Type monster from my graveyard, I can activate the effect of **Batteryman Industrial Strength**! I banish **Batteryman 9-Volt** from my graveyard, and destroy 1 monster _and_ 1 Spell or Trap Card you control!"

As Alessandro finished, Jonas' eyes widened, as Industrial Strength began its attack. The red wire shot towards Kirin, electrocuting him as he let out a brief scream, and the blue wire shot towards Fire Formation - Tenki, which made a far less dramatic exit, as it just shattered into a thousand pieces - "And now, the effects of **Kirin** and **Tenki** no longer apply."

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear:** ATK 1700 - 100 = 1600

 **Batteryman AA:** ATK 900 + 100 = 1000

 **Batteryman Industrial Strength:** ATK 2500 + 100 = 2600

"Now, it's time for battle! **Batteryman Industrial Strength** attacks **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**!" - Industrial Strength used both of its wires this time, shocking Bear enough to make him collapse completely before disappearing off the playing field.

 **Jonas:** LP 2700 - 1000 = 1700

"Next, **Batteryman AA** attacks directly!" - AA unclenched its orange fists, and simultaneously shot two strong shockwaves out of them.

 **Jonas:** LP 1700 - 1000 = 700

"Hell yeah!" - Alessandro jumped up enthusiastically - "That's what I'm talking about! Now it's your turn, let's see if you can come back from this!" - he said, as he calmed down.

"Let's see indeed." - Jonas said - "I need to win this on this turn, because he'll just keep burning me or using **Industrial Strength** 's effect if I don't. I can think of approximately two cards in my deck that can help me win right now, so let's hope."

 **Turn 5 - Jonas (LP - 700 / Hand - 1 / Field: X)**

"I've got one card in my hand, and it's a Spell that's completely useless on an empty field. Well, let's see." - Jonas thought, as he placed his index and middle fingers on the top of his deck, and closed his eyes.

"Draw!" - he said, and slowly opened them back up to look at what he drew. Instead of being relieved that the duel isn't lost, he simply thought:

"Wow, Hannah is right. I am a lucky bastard."

Marco, who was still sitting in the stands, just nodded, as if he could hear Jonas' thoughts.

"I summon **Coach Soldier Wolfbark**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - a grey wolf appeared, standing on its back legs, wearing dark blue tights, golden armour and bright blue sunglasses, looking slightly odd.

"By using its effect, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 FIRE Beast-Warrior monster from my graveyard in defense position with its effects negated. Come back, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**!"

Bear once again appeared on the field, kneeling down in defense position.

"Now I'll overlay my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear** and **Coach Soldier Wolfbark**! Descend, oh grand protector of justice and high commander of the heavenly spirits! Rise to the skies like a phoenix, rain down fire on the unjust, and gaze upon this wretched land that will soon be yours! Xyz Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1800)" - the first thing that materialized was a gigantic flaming tiger, made of white fire, about double the height of the man that now appeared in front of it. His square jawline was covered by a grey beard, which was the same colour as his hair. The armour covering his upper body was made almost entirely of gold, with glowing red lines scattered around it. Attached to his golden belt was a brown cape with a golden outline, and around him orbited two small fireballs, representing its Xyz Materials.

"I activate the last card in my hand - **Wild Nature's Release**!" - Tiger King raised his left hand into the air, as the giant tiger behind him grew in size even more - "This card increases the ATK of one of my Beast-Warriors by its DEF, but it is destroyed during the End Phase!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King:** ATK 2200 + 1800 = 4000

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if you attack **Batteryman AA** now, I wouldn't lose all my life points." - Alessandro remarked.

"You're not wrong, but I'm still not done." - Jonas said - "I activate the effect of **Tiger King** , and detach 1 Xyz Material from it..." - one of the fireballs orbiting around Tiger King fizzled out - "…and negate the effects of all non-Beast-Warrior monsters on the field until the end of your next turn!"

"Wait…" - Alessandro realized what happened - "So **AA** loses its ATK!".

 **Batteryman AA:** ATK: 1000 - 1000 = 0

"Now we're all set!" - Jonas pointed towards Batteryman AA - " **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King** , attack!" - Tiger King pointed towards AA in the same manner as Jonas did, and the giant tiger behind it started charging towards Alessandro's field, stomping the helpless battery, causing yet another explosion.

 **Alessandro:** LP 3200 - 3200 = 0

 **Round 2 winner: Jonas Nielsen**

When the smoke cleared, Jonas saw Alessandro sprinting towards him, and had to dodge him. He turned around to face Alessandro, who was now behind him, offering Jonas a handshake.

"You don't seem that upset about losing." - Jonas accepted the gesture.

"There's no reason to be upset, it's all a bit of fun."

"I know, it's just that some people take this way too seriously." - Jonas said, recalling Marco's duel from a week ago.

"To be honest, I didn't even expect to get past round one." - Alessandro said, as they both exited the arena - "Anyways, good luck in the rest of the tournament." - he said his parting words, waving to Jonas, as he started walking towards the coast.

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone!?" - a man in the shadows furiously slammed his fist on the table in front of him, as Damien saw a glimpse of his pale face.

"Sir, I have no idea where she's disappeared." - he replied - "I checked on the safe house today, and she wasn't there. I'll start searching…"

"No!" - the man interrupted him, then lowered his voice - "I have an idea of what might have happened, I'll find her. You focus on the task at hand."

Damien nodded his head in reply, and walked out of the room, seemingly in no rush.

* * *

"The mission hasn't gone entirely to plan." - Sara thought, as she exited the shower, and quickly grabbed a towel from the rack next to her. She walked out of the bathroom into her cold, claustrophobic apartment, located on the top floor of the building that was reserved for students that were studying in Neo Ragusa but weren't from the city.

"But for now, I'll settle with having you as a bargaining chip" - she whispered, looking towards a girl with light blue hair, approximately the same age as her, sleeping blissfully on the couch in the middle of the small living room. As she entered her bedroom, she looked through the only window in the room, her stare holding on the Neo Ragusa sunset.

"I'm going to miss this city." - Sara thought, as the lights in the buildings opposite her slowly started turning on.


	9. Crystal Clear

**Chapter 9 - Crystal Clear**

 **Two weeks later**

"Where has she gone?" - Hannah asked herself, as she locked the door to her apartment. She wasn't sure what train of thought led to her thinking about Sara's recent disappearance, but it wasn't stopping now.

"It's been one week from the day Sara vanished from the face of the Earth. Everyone was quite excited to go and watch her duel. I'll admit, I didn't really like her, but she was really something else when she duelled. So we all gathered up on the second day of round three, since we all won our duels already, and we went to spectate her. When we got to the arena, it was practically empty, and we were quickly told that she forfeited her match." - she continued, recalling the events that happened on this day one week ago.

"We tried calling her, but it kept saying that her number doesn't exist. I even quickly stopped by her place to see if she was there, but no. She completely vanished."

Hannah continued to walk down the street towards the city centre, and was flipping through thoughts like the pages of a book. She started walking quicker against the brisk breeze, so as to not be late for the start of Jonas' duel.

"I mean, I'm sure Sara is fine, wherever the hell she's gone to, but I can't help being a bit worried about the whole thing. People don't just disappear like that." - she finished thinking about that entire situation, and switched focus towards the upcoming duel, as she was less than five minutes away from the arena Jonas was dueling in. She looked at the watch on her arm, and realized it was noon - the duel already started. She picked her pace up even more, and reached the arena without even realizing, quickly sneaking up to the stands so she wouldn't disturb anyone. There were more spectators watching this duel than previous one, mostly because this arena was more accessible, as well as the fact that the number of duelists had significantly decreased. As she climbed up the stairs towards her seat, she almost bumped into someone. Initially heeding no attention to the man, she briefly turned around, and noticed that the man wore a long black trench coat.

"He looks familiar…" - after this quick thought, she completely forgot about the man, and instead decided to focus on the duel. Jonas was just ending his turn, his field containing Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin and Fire Formation - Tenki, and one set card, while his opponent had an empty field.

"Good, I'm not too late." - she thought, concluding that the first turn just finished, then did one last thing before switching her focus entirely to the duel - "Who the hell is Jonas even dueling, I completely forgot." - she quickly whipped out her phone to check - "Laurence Wittelsbach. The name is familiar for some reason, but I can't exactly remember. I wonder what he plays."

 **IDC - Round 4 - Duelists remaining: 64**

 **Turn 2 - Laurence (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"My turn! Draw!" - Laurence said with a certain relaxing calmness in his voice - "I activate **Gem-Knight Fusion**!"

"Well, that question was answered pretty swiftly." - Hannah thought.

"I fuse my **Gem-Knight Garnet** and **Gem-Knight Obsidian**! Fusion Summon! **Gem-Knight Ruby**! (EARTH/Pyro/Level 6/ATK 2500/DEF 1300)" - a green-eyed red-armoured warrior appeared in front of him. A blue cape was attached to his shoulder pads, which had giant rubies in them, and he held a red staff in both his hands, with what looked like a scythe at the end of it.

"Next, I'll use **Gem-Knight Obsidian** 's effect! When it's sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my graveyard! Resurrect - **Gem-Knight Garnet** (EARTH/Pyro/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 0) but he won't be sticking around for long! I use the effect of **Gem-Knight Fusion** in my graveyard! By banishing **Obsidian** from my graveyard, I can return it to my hand." - Laurence was explaining his moves without even stopping to breathe, as if he was in a rush.

"I'll activate **Gem-Knight Fusion** again!" - he exclaimed, as a few barely audible cheers came from the crowd - "This time I'll fuse the **Gem-Knight Tourmaline** in my hand and **Gem-Knight Garnet** on my field, and Fusion Summon **Gem-Knight Topaz**! (EARTH/Thunder/Level 6/ATK 1800/DEF 1800)" - Topaz appeared to the right of Ruby, and his armour was similar to that of the red warrior, except yellow in colour, and he wore a green cape. In both his hands he wielded weapons in the shape of lightning bolts.

"Battle Phase!"

"Before you do that…" - Jonas said, after being silent for the past five minutes - "…I'll remind you that Kirin's effect decreases the ATK of all your monsters by 100, since I have a face-up Spell Card on the field. Also, **Tenki** gives him an additional 100 ATK."

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin:** ATK 2000 + 100 = 2100

 **Gem-Knight Ruby:** ATK 2500 - 100 = 2400

 **Gem-Knight Topaz:** ATK 1800 - 100 = 1700

"You don't need to tell me the effects of your cards, _I can read_!" - Laurence said, ignoring Jonas and just continuing with his turn - "Now, **Ruby** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**!" - Kirin wasn't long for this world when Ruby charged towards him, raising his scythe, and slicing him in half.

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 300 = 3700

"And now the ATK of all my monsters returns to normal! And it's time to make full use of that!" - Laurence pointed towards Jonas, commanding Topaz to attack him directly, and he obeyed. He raised one of his swords, and pointed it towards the opponent, shooting a bright, blinding thunderbolt towards Jonas' empty field.

 **Jonas:** LP 3700 - 1800 = 1900

Jonas had barely any time to recover as he watched Topaz raise his other hand, and repeat the attack, the intensity of which knocked Jonas down to the ground. The small crowd gasped in surprise of what just happened. After a brief pause, a few people started cheering and clapping, as they thought the duel was coming to a close.

 **Jonas:** LP 1900 - 1800 = 100

"What… just happened?" - Hannah barely heard Jonas from where she was sitting, but there was audible surprise in his voice.

"It's quite simple, really. **Gem-Knight Topaz** can attack twice during each Battle Phase!"

"Ah, that'll do it!" - Hannah thought, as Laurence ended his turn - "That was pretty impressive. Let's see if Jonas can bounce back!"

 **Turn 3 - Jonas (LP - 100 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tenki, 1 set **)**

"Draw." - Jonas mumbled, still recovering from the earlier situation - "Quite a sticky situation, but I think I've got this." - he thought, pleased at the sight of his hand.

"Yeah, of course he can bounce back." - Hannah thought, noticing the smile on Jonas' face.

"First and foremost, if I control a Fire Formation card, but no monsters, I can summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 500) from my hand!" - a bearded man with long black hair appeared, wearing clothes that were coloured varying shades of blue, and sparse armour. Around him sprinted a small flaming coyote that was the same emerald colour as his owner's belt buckle.

"Next, I'll activate my set card - **Fire Formation - Yoko**!" - a small purple fireball appeared in front of the card - "When it's activated, I can destroy one face-up card you control!" - he said, and Gem-Knight Ruby suddenly set on fire, disappearing off the field after a brief moment on struggle - "After that, however, I also have to discard 1 Beast-Warrior monster from my hand. I'll send **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard** to the graveyard, but he won't be there for long! I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200)" - Jonas continued, as the dark blue flames of Spirit materialized in front of him.

"Using **Spirit** 's effect, I'll resurrect **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 200) which I just discarded back to the field!"

"Yes! Now all he has to do is summon **Horse Prince…** " - Hannah's thoughts were quickly interrupted, as Jonas started doing exactly what she expected.

"I now tune my Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist** **\- Spirit** with my Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard**! Light the bonfires and rally the troops! Step forward, oh eternal beast god of war! Synchro Summon! **Vulcan the Divine**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1600)"

"That was… unexpected." - Hannah pouted, slightly peeved at the fact that things hadn't gone as she predicted.

A giant humanoid tiger with appeared on Jonas' field. It had a tattered red scarf around its neck, and wore metal armour on both its hands. Its right hand held a giant hammer, its one end brightly glowing as if it was just used to strike the flaming sword the beast held in its other hand.

"When **Vulcan the Divine** is Synchro Summoned, I can return one card from each side of the field to the hand!" - Jonas said, as his opponent slowly came to the realization that he lost this duel - "I return **Fire Formation - Yoko** and **Gem-Knight Topaz**!"

Laurence looked on helplessly as Topaz was returned from his field to the Extra Deck.

"Also, I know you can read, but I'll remind you again. Due to **Tenki** being on the field, all my Beast-Warriors gain an extra 100 ATK. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things." - Jonas pointed towards Laurence, whose field was now as empty as Jonas' was mere minutes ago - " **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote** , direct attack!"

 **Laurence:** LP 4000 - 2100 = 1900

"And now, **Vulcan the Divine** , use the hammer of the gods, and deliver the final strike!" - Vulcan charged towards Laurence's field, striking the ground in front of him with its mighty hammer, causing cracks to appear in the pavement, and knocking Laurence back, as the Solid Vision System slowly started turning off.

 **Laurence:** LP 1900 - 1900 = 0

 **Round 4 winner: Jonas Nielsen**

Jonas walked over to his opponent, helping him get up, and exchanging a few words with him, which Hannah couldn't hear from the stands, as her ears were filled with the sound of the crowd getting ready to leave the arena. She got up from her seat as well, and as the crowd slowly cleared, Jonas was nowhere to be seen. She waited around at the entrance to the arena for about five minutes, hoping to run into him while he's leaving.

"He must've snuck off." - she thought - "Shame, I wanted to talk to him for a bit."

She hung around for a minute more, then decided to head back home.

* * *

As Hannah closed the door to her third-floor apartment, she kicked her shoes off, and discarded them carelessly in the hallway, then headed straight for the kitchen.

"I've not eaten anything today." - she thought - "I wonder what's in the…" - someone knocked on her door, just as she was about to open the fridge.

"That's weird. I'm not expecting anyone." - despite having every reason to be suspicious, she walked over to the door, nearly tripping on her sneakers, and started opening the door without even looking through the peephole to check who it is. When the door fully opened, she found herself face to face with the person standing in the hallway, who quickly looked around in fear of being spotted by someone. Hannah noticed that the mystery person was a girl wearing a dark blue hoodie that obscured her face just enough for Hannah to be unable to tell who it was.

Much to Hannah's shock, the girl let herself in to the apartment, not saying a word as she closed the door. Her actions and demeanour gave off a hint of extreme urgency.

" I want you to listen to me carefully." - she said, taking off her hood and revealing her identity.

"Sara!? We've been trying to get to you for…" - Hannah started saying, but interrupted herself after noticing an unusual change in Sara's appearance - "Did you dye your hair?" - she asked, noticing her hair was now dark blue.

"I disappear for a week, and _that's_ the first question you have to ask?" - Sara responded to her question with another question, and Hannah just nodded in reply.

"No, this is my actual hair colour. That's irrelevant though, there are more important issues…" - Sara said these words so quickly that they almost merged into one big blob of noise. As she noticed the innocent look of confusion on Hannah's face, she decided to slow down slightly, and explain the situation in detail.

"I've seen you've been trying to contact me ever since I dropped out of the tournament. I can't tell you exactly where I've been, but…"

"What do you mean you can't tell me? You just show up out of nowhere, and I'm sitting here waiting for an explanation, and now you won't give me one?" - Hannah interrupted her, upset about the fact that Sara was hell-bent at not saying where she disappeared to, despite that being just about the only thing Hannah was interested in hearing right now.

"I said _I can't tell you_." - Sara cut her off, insistent on talking about something that she thought was more important at this point - "It doesn't matter anyway. What matters is the information I got when I was there. Now, are you going to keep being stubborn or actually listen to me?"

Despite her main concern still not being addressed, Hannah let Sara continue, noticing a hint of panic in her voice.

"There are people in this city who want you and your powers." - Sara went straight to the point, and Hannah went back to being confused.

"What powers? The powers of being a human being?" - she asked.

"Wait, you don't know?" - it was Sara's turn to be confused, but that brief moment passed, and she continued talking - "That's not important now anyways…"

"Is _nothing_ important to you!?" - Hannah interrupted her once again - "You barge in, saying that you need to tell me something, but it seems to me that you aren't saying a whole lot."

The girls spent the next half a minute in silence, before Sara took a deep breath, and continued talking.

"They want your deck. Or more specifically, they want one card in your deck, and they'll stop at nothing to get it." - Sara said.

"Okay, we're getting somewhere." - Hannah said in a snarky tone, and let Sara continue.

"I initially came here with the objective to hunt these people down, but after a year of trying I was unable to find them, so I had to go back. But yesterday I overheard their men talking about a Majespecter player, so I had to come back to warn you." - Sara started walking around the apartment.

"What are you looking for?" - Hannah asked.

"Your deck."

"You'll see it." - Hannah said, pointing towards the door to her bedroom. Sara entered, and lightly bumped into the desk that was almost at the very entrance to the room. On that desk laid a deck of green-sleeved cards, which Sara picked up, slowly going through each card as she walked back towards the living room, where Hannah was sat down on the couch.

"It's… not here." - Sara said in shock, as she finished going through the extra deck - "Why is it not here?"

"What's not there? What card are you talking about?"

"Have you changed your deck recently?" - Sara asked, deciding to ignore Hannah's question.

"We're not allowed to change our decks during the tournament." - Hannah answered - "So the answer's no."

Sara put down the deck, then quickly started pacing back and forth.

"You know, if you weren't so vague, I might be able to help you." - Hannah said, but Sara ignored all of her pleas, as the former became more and more confused by the entire situation. She left Sara to her thoughts, and went to finally grab something to eat.

"The card's not there." - Sara started her internal monologue - "Based on everything I know, it should be there, but it's not. So where is it then? It can't be with them already, since she would've noticed the card suddenly disappeared." - she continued to think about this question, as Hannah walked back into the living room with a small bowl of pasta in her left hand, and a fork in the right. She watched Sara for a bit, then started to eat. Sara stopped walking around the room, looked at Hannah, and chuckled at the sight of her devouring food.

"Shut up, I haven't eaten at all today." - Hannah said, noticing Sara's reaction, but her mouth was full, so the words that came out of it were almost incoherent, much to Sara's amusement. Her moment of joy didn't last long though.

"So you don't have the card." - she said.

"Oh we're back to that are we?" - Hannah stopped eating for a moment.

"There must be something I'm missing here." - Sara muttered, and started heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" - Hannah asked her.

"Back to where I came from. Besides, you seem annoyed at me being here anyways."

"Well, I kind of was. But it was also nice to just talk to someone for a bit. It gets a bit lonely in this apartment."

"I can imagine." - Sara had one last look around the apartment, which seemed way too big for only one person - "Anyways, I'll go investigate this further, and you just… be careful, okay?"

"What do you mean, be careful?"

"The situation's incredibly complex, and I don't think I have enough time left to explain. Just do me a favour, and always make sure you have someone by your side when you're dueling, at least for the next few weeks."

"Sure, I can do that." - Hannah said - "But, what do you mean by..." - she wanted to continue talking to Sara, but the latter quickly closed the door to the apartment, leaving her in complete silence.

"That was strange." - she thought, recounting the events that happened in the past half an hour - "She came in, wanting to tell me something, but she just ended up confusing me. And what did she mean when she said she didn't "have enough time left"? Surely she could've stuck around for five more minutes."

Despite her overall confusion, Hannah didn't ponder on what happened too much, as she sat down at the kitchen table to finish her meal in peace.

Just as she placed the dirty bowl into the sink, thinking "I'll wash this up later", she felt a vibration in her back right pocket, and took out her phone.

"Oh, the round five pairings have been announced. Who am I up against?" - she started to scroll down the page containing the names of all thirty two duelists left in the tournament, until she found her own.

"Damien Portinari. Interesting name." - she placed her phone back into her pocket, then grabbed a clean glass, and filled it with water - "I wonder what he plays."

She walked out into the living room, picking up her deck from the desk on which Sara left it, then went to her bedroom and placed the deck where it originally was.

"And now what?" - she thought - "I've got ten hours left in the day, and I've got absolutely nothing to do."

She took her phone out again, wanting to check if any of her friends were online, but the screen wouldn't turn on.

"Damn it, the battery's empty again." - she aimlessly walked back out into the living room after leaving her phone to charge, then sat down on the couch.

"I guess I'll just sit here then." - she thought - "Sit here and watch time go by."


	10. Abandon All Hope

**Chapter 10 - Abandon All Hope**

"Why are we here this early?" - Daniel asked, as he and Hannah entered the arena she was dueling in, two hours before the scheduled start of the duel.

"My opponent messaged me in advance and asked if we could reschedule the duel and have it start a couple of hours earlier."

"Can you just reschedule duels like that?"

"Yeah, I checked in the rules. As long as both parties agree to it, the duels can be held outside of their scheduled times in any empty arena." - Hannah said, quoting word for word what was written on the Championship's official website.

"Isn't it a bit suspicious though?"

"Why would it be suspicious? People are busy, it happens. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do." - Hannah looked around the arena, which despite its seating capacity of ten thousand people currently had no people in it - "Why didn't anyone else show up?" - she asked.

"Well, nobody knows the time's been changed."

"But, I sent a text to everyone I know. Surely someone would've shown up."

"It's nine in the morning though." - Daniel replied - "Everyone's probably still sleeping."

"Then why aren't you?" - Hannah asked, as she stopped walking and waited for her opponent to appear.

"I don't like sleep." - Daniel said, leaving her to prepare, and went to sit in the first row of the arena - "Anyways, good luck!"

"Thanks!" - Hannah said, putting on a smile to try and conceal the fact she was extremely uneasy about this whole situation.

"I'll need all the luck in the world. I mean, I'm in round 5, nothing comes easy here." - she thought - "And Daniel's right, this change of schedule does seem a bit weird. But what else could I do? My parents are coming to visit tomorrow, so it couldn't be rescheduled for then."

Hannah's mind briefly drifted off into thoughts about how she has to clean her apartment, which she hasn't done in over a week, before coming back to her previous train of thought.

"I'm sure there aren't actually any ulterior motives behind this though. It's just… ever since Sara barged in that day, I've been on edge, worried about things I shouldn't really be worried about."

At this moment, a dark-haired man walked onto the side of the field opposite her, wearing a red vest underneath a pitch-black trench coat.

"It's him!" - Hannah immediately recognized this man - "That's the guy that was randomly standing around in front of the school!" - she thought, as she also remembered seeing him last week during Jonas' duel, and she immediately became that much more worried about the situation.

"I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably just a coincidence that I ran into him a couple of times." - she tried to calm herself down.

On the other side of the arena, Damien was just finishing up his preparations for the duel.

"Look at her, she looks so worried." - he thought - "I'd say a few words to calm her down, but I'm not sure that'd really work."

"Some things just have to be done." - he thought, looking at Hannah, trying to not feel pity on her because of what was about to happen - "It is unfortunate that we have a spectator though. I rescheduled this just so nobody would show up, but he's here anyway. Well, I'll have to deal with that when the time comes." - he quickly looked at Daniel, who was eagerly awaiting the start of the duel.

"Can we start?" - Damien asked, and Hannah snapped out of her thoughts and nodded her head.

"Don't let whatever's happening get to you!" - she thought, trying to suppress the worry welling up inside her - "You can win this!"

"Duel!" - both duelists exclaimed.

 **IDC - Round 5 - Duelists remaining: 32**

 **Turn 1 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll go first!" - Hannah said, then briefly paused to take a look at her starting hand.

"Using my Scale 2 **Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin** and Scale 5 **Majespecter Toad - Ogama** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - a large white unicorn appeared to her left, and a much smaller toad to her right.

"So she's definitely the one I'm looking for, without a doubt." - Damien thought.

"Now, I'll Pendulum Summon **Majespecter Crow - Yata**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)" - a three-legged crow wearing a scarlet cape materialized on the field - "When **Yata** is summoned, I can add one Majespecter Spell Card from my deck to my hand! And I add **Majespecter Storm**!"

The card came out of the deck near the very bottom of it, and Hannah grabbed it, and put it in her hand. After taking another brief pause, she set one card onto the field, and ended her turn.

"I've got **Majespecter Tornado** set." - she thought - "That should keep me safe if he summons anything threatening."

 **Turn 2 - Damien (LP - 4000 / Hand - 6 / Field - X)**

"My turn!" - Damien said, as he drew a card from his deck. Unlike Hannah, he spent no time looking at his hand, as if his moves were planned in advance.

"While I control no Spell or Trap Cards, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Come forth, **Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300)" - a dark opening appeared on the floor in front of him, and out of it came a black beast, partially resembling a werewolf. Its front legs had shackles on them, with loose bits of chain dangling off them, signifying that it was once restrained, but now broke free. It opened its bright yellow eyes, situated just beneath the three horns on its head, and loudly roared, spreading its demonic wings.

"That _thing_ looks threatening." - Hannah thought - "Luckily, I still have **Tornado**. I just have to wait to see what else he does."

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 2000)" - Damien continued, and another demonic creature appeared in front of him. This one had wings even larger than that of the beast next to him, and wore a metallic helmet covering its eyes. Both its hands had four fingers, out of which extended long, sharp claws, and its legs were similar to that of a bird. Hannah couldn't help but be scared at the very sight of the creature, which fortunately for her didn't stick around for long.

"Now, I'll overlay my two Level 3 Malebranche - **Cagna** and **Scarm**!" - Damien continued - "Supreme poet, ascend above this world! Abandon everything you love most, and travel through this tumultuous realm, void of all light, where the souls of the wretched are destined to a miserable eternity! Xyz Summon! **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 2500)" - in contrast to the demons that previously inhabited the field, what appeared in their place was an ordinary man. He wore a red coat over black clothes, and had belts tightened around his waist and chest, one of which had a sheathed sword on it. Atop his dark turquoise-haired head, the man wore a green laurel crown.

"That looks way less threatening. I won't interrupt this for now. Let's see where he goes with this." - Hannah looked on as Damien's turn unfolded.

"I'll use **Dante** 's effect! I detach one Xyz Material, and then declare a number from one to three!" - Damien kept on going - "Then, I send that many cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard! I detach **Scarm** , and send three cards to my graveyard!"

"This might get unpleasant. There's no way he's sending those cards to the graveyard for no reason." - Hannah thought, as Damien took the top three cards of his deck, and placed them in the graveyard.

"Now, because I sent **Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** to my graveyard, I can return one set Spell or Trap from the field to the hand!" - Damien said, pointing towards the only set card on Hannah's field.

"Well, I guess he's forcing my hand here." - she thought, and went to select the targeted card on her disk's central unit.

"I activate **Majespecter Tornado**! I tribute my **Majespecter Crow - Yata** , and then banish one of your monsters!" - the purple crow disappeared from the field, sending a large tornado Dante's way.

"Nothing I didn't expect." - despite thinking this, Damien was still surprised with how everything unfolded, as he watched Dante slowly get blown away by the strong wind.

"I'll set one card, and end my turn." - he said - "At this moment, the effect of **Scarm** activates. Because it was sent to the graveyard this turn, I can add 1 Burning Abyss monster from my deck to my hand. I add **Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! Your turn."

"That was his boss monster?" - Hannah thought - "Maybe he's not as threatening as I thought."

 **Turn 3 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Pendulum Cards:** Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin, Majespecter Toad - Ogama **)**

Hannah went to draw, but Damien immediately activated a card in response, immediately proving her previous thoughts completely wrong.

"I activate **Twin Twister**!" - he said - "I discard **Barbar** to the graveyard, and destroy both of your Pendulum Scales!"

"Again with the damn **Twin Twister**!" - Hannah thought.

"Not done there!" - Damien said - "When **Barbar** is sent to the graveyard, I can banish three Burning Abyss cards from my graveyard! I banish **Cagna** , **Calcab** and **Scarm** from the graveyard! Now, you take 300 damage for each banished card!"

 **Hannah:** LP 4000 - 900 = 3100

"Now you may go on with your turn." - Damien finished up, as Hannah was left helpless, and without any way to access the Pendulum Monsters stuck in her extra deck.

"I don't even have a complete scale in my hand!" - she groaned - "Whatever, I can still make things work here! I Normal Summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000)" - a small orange tornado-tailed fox appeared in front of her.

"When **Kyubi** is summoned, I can add one Majespecter Trap Card from my deck to my hand! I add another copy of **Majespecter Tornado** to my hand!"

Hannah set Tornado, as well as another Trap Card, from her hand, then went into the Battle Phase.

"Not an ideal situation, but I have to deal with it. The least I can do is go for some damage while his field is empty." - she thought.

" **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** , direct attack!"

 **Damien:** LP 4000 - 1500 = 2500

Damien barely moved despite the strong tornado the fox sent over in his direction.

"I end my turn." - Hannah said.

"I could've done this last turn, but I wanted to see what she could do." - Damien thought - "I'm underwhelmed at the moment, but I think she has more up her sleeve. So it's time to bring out the big guns, and force her into summoning the one thing I came here for."

 **Turn 4 - Damien (LP - 2500 / Hand - 3 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - he said, and much like on his last turn, started playing without pause.

"I activate the Ritual Spell Card, **Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss**!" - he said.

"Ritual Spell Card?" - Hannah thought - "Haven't seen one of those in a while."

"This isn't looking good." - Daniel muttered, as he watched the duel, growing steadily more worried.

"From my hand I'll tribute the two Malebranche - **Cir** and **Graff**! From the depths of hell rises the guardian of the cursed and leader of the twelve demons! Abandon all hope! Ritual Summon, Level 6! **Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2200)" - a yellow-eyed demon appeared, larger than all the ones before him. Its head was a striking red colour, much like the rest of its body, and had four horns coming out of it - two resembling those of a bull, and two coming out of the side of its head. It wore a dark blue chestplate and leg armour, which almost exactly matched its dark purple wings in colour. In its right hand was a blue blade, and in its left a blood-red sword. As the monster slowly descended onto the field, it let out a demonic screech, and fully spread its wings, which were almost as wide as the playing field itself, and a testament to the monster's terrifying size.

"That thing looks massive, I better..." - Hannah was ready to activate Majespecter Tornado, but Damien continued.

"I see you want to get rid of **Malacoda** immediately." - he noticed what she was trying to do - "But at the very least, let me get a few more effects first." - he said calmly.

"First of all, when **Cir** is sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon another Burning Abyss monster from my graveyard - come forth, **Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 1000)" - in front of him appeared a demon that resembled a human, what with its long grey beard, and large, muscular body. However, the similarities stopped there - the demon's head had two large horns growing out of it, one of which was almost entirely shattered. It had wings much like the other Malebranche, and it held a golden chain with a massive flail at the end of it.

"Next, when **Graff** is sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Malebranche from my deck! Summon, **Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0)" - the demon that appeared this time resembled a woman, what with its long grey hair, but whether or not it was ever actually human was debatable. It had three horns - one in the middle of its head, which was cut off in a similar way to Barbar's left horn, and two downwards ones, which ran down parallel with its elongated face. Its wings, which were now spread, were a burgundy colour.

The three demons on Damien's field looked threatening, but Hannah didn't change her plans the slightest bit.

"I activate **Majespecter Tornado**! By tributing **Kyubi** , I banish **Malacoda**!" - she said, and the Netherlord disappeared off the field as quickly as Dante before him.

"Everything's going according to plan." - Damien thought, trying his very hardest to not look arrogant.

"Battle! **Barbar** , attack her directly!" - the large demons swung its chain around a few times, before throwing the flail in Hannah's direction, smashing the ground before her and knocking her back.

 **Hannah:** LP 3100 - 1700 = 1400

"Next up, **Alich** , direct attack!" - the demon to the left of Barbar, raised its right hand, and slowly materialized a bright blue flame in its palm, which it then shot towards Hannah, who was still lying down on the floor after the last attack.

 **Hannah:** LP 1400 - 1200 = 200

"Dude, calm down!" - Daniel shouted from the stands, noticing Hannah wasn't getting up, but was immediately silenced by Damien's reply.

" _You be quiet!_ I could've ended this duel here and now, be glad your friend's still in it!" - he said sternly, displeased with Daniel's interruption, and general presence.

"Plus, I'm not leaving without seeing the monster I came here for. That's why I didn't beat her this turn, even if I could have. I want her to know what it feels like to be at the brink of defeat."

Damien watched on for another minute, before Hannah finally got back up on her feet.

"Your turn." - he said.

 **Turn 5 - Hannah (LP - 200 / Hand - 2 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"Draw." - Hannah said, barely managing to stand up, as she noticed a faint glow coming from the card on top of her deck. As she drew the card, she was left in shock.

"She seems surprised." - Damien thought - "Maybe it's finally time."

"I've never seen this card before." - Hannah stared at the card in her right hand - "Where..."

"...they want one card in your deck, and they'll stop at nothing to get it." - Hannah remembered Sara's words from a week ago - "Why is it not here?" - the words from that encounter came flooding back.

"Could this be the card she was talking about?" - Hannah thought, as she diverted her stare to the extra deck, which was also faintly glowing. As she accessed the extra deck menu on the touchscreen on her duel disk, she noticed that it too had a new card in it.

"Where did these cards appear from? These aren't mine!" - she started panicking, but quickly calmed back down, and proceeded with her turn as if nothing happened, almost as if she was being taken over by something.

"I activate my set card, **Pendulum Reborn**! Using its effect, I Special Summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** back from my extra deck!" - she said with more vigour, though still barely standing, as the small orange fox once again appeared on the field.

"Next, I'll summon **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 0)" - a humanoid creature appeared, holding a golden sword one hand and a white shield in the other. The rest of its armour matched the shield, and was primarily white in colour, with bronze highlights. It wore a mask with two horns on it, resembling a dragon's face. Despite its initial human appearance, it had a large blue tail, and dark green wings split into four sections coming out of its back.

"Yes! It's coming!" - Damien couldn't help but scream to the sky, partially out of joy, and partially out of relief. Meanwhile, Daniel looked at what was happening in the duel, and had a hard time believing any of it.

"That's not her monster…" - he thought - "…where did she get that from?"

"Now, I'll overlay my Level 4 **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** and **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**!" - Hannah continued - "Combine! The splendour of the Majespecters and the might of the Dracoslayers! Exalted champion, rise towards the heavens on wings of glory! Xyz Summon! **Majester Paladin, the Ascending Dracoslayer**! (WIND/Dragon/Rank 4/ATK 1850/DEF 2000)!" - Luster Pendulum slowly rose to the sky, stopping in its ascent after a few seconds, as Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin slowly materialized beneath it. Luster then descended, as slowly as he had ascended, and sat down on Kirin's back, raising his sword to the sky as the unicorn knelt.

"I'm better off summoning it in defense position than going for damage." - Hannah thought - "I remember what **Barbar** does. If **Majester** was in attack, he could just run Barbar into him and I'd be done for."

"I set one card, and end my turn." - she said - "At this time, I can use **Majester** 's effect, allowing me to add one Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand. I add **Majespecter Raccoon - Bunbuku**!"

"Now, next turn, I'll be able to summon **Bunbuku** , and get a scale. Then we're in business." - she thought.

"That's a bit underwhelming, in all honesty." - Damien's thoughts were the exact opposite of Hannah's - "Oh well, makes it easier for me I guess."

 **Turn 6 - Damien (LP - 2500 / Hand - 0 / Field -** Monsters: Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss **)**

"Draw!" - Damien said.

"He only has one card in his hand, surely there's no way…" - Hannah thought, but was interrupted by Damien.

"I activate the effect of a card in my graveyard - **The Terminus of the Burning Abyss**! I banish it from my graveyard, and give one Burning Abyss monster an extra 800 ATK!"

"When did that card get in the graveyard?" - Hannah asked.

"I sent it there with **Dante** , remember?"

 **Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss:** ATK 1700 + 800 = 2500

"Now…" - Damien started saying, but it was his turn to be interrupted.

"I activate **Compulsory Evacuation Device**!" - Hannah said - "And return **Barbar** to the hand!"

"Now that's a card I haven't seen in a while!" - Damien said - "Well done! Though it won't help you survive this turn." - he continued in a sinister tone of voice, and Hannah's eyes widened.

"From my graveyard, I banish **Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss**! Now, I send 1 Burning Abyss monster from my hand to the graveyard, and add 1 Burning Abyss monster from my deck to the hand!" - he said with a wide grin on his face, revealing Barbar in his hand.

"I add **Scarm** to my hand, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that **Barbar** was sent to the graveyard, which means I can now banish up to three Burning Abyss cards from my graveyard and inflict you 300 damage for each!"

"No…" - Daniel thought, as he helplessly looked at his friend on the brink of defeat - "She returned it back to his hand so he couldn't get that effect, but he managed to do it anyway."

"I banish **Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** from my graveyard!" - Damien stated his finishing move. The ghost of Barbar appeared, swinging its chain, and threw the flail in Hannah's direction once again, this time hitting her, instead of the ground in front of her, with full force.

 **Hannah:** LP 200 - 200 = 0

 **Round 5 winner: Damien Portinari**

Daniel started rushing towards Hannah, while Damien slowly walked over to his now unconscious opponent. He was just about to pick her up, before being pushed out of the way by Daniel.

"Are you crazy? She could be seriously hurt!" - Daniel said, but Damien just stared at him.

"You stay out of this." - he said.

"What do you mean? What do you even want with her?" - Daniel asked, desperately trying to get some answers.

"I said, _stay out of this._ " - Damien repeated himself, and upon noticing that Daniel wasn't complying, grabbed him by the throat, and violently threw him to the side, knocking him out in the process, then picked up Hannah's unconscious body.

When Daniel woke up, neither Damien nor Hannah were anywhere to be seen.


	11. Deus et Machina

**Chapter 11 - Deus et Machina**

"Are you sure you don't know where she was taken?" - Jonas questioned Daniel, as both of them sat in Daniel's room. This was the first time Jonas has spoken to Daniel in more than a week, as the two couldn't get in contact for a few days after Hannah's disappearance.

"No, I don't." - Daniel replied, showing no emotion, and barely remaining upstanding because of the fact he got almost no sleep in the last week - "And to be honest it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter. Don't you want to find her?" - Jonas asked.

"I'm not trying to find her." - Daniel said - "I'm trying to find Damien. I know he's in the tournament, I just have to get far enough to duel him. And when I do, there will be some… questions asked."

"You'll have to get past this round if you want to do that though. And your opponent's that Levi dude that beat Marco, he's not going to make it…"

"Of course he's not going to make it easy." - Daniel cut him off - "But I don't care. He's an obstacle, and I'll stop at nothing to beat him."

* * *

Daniel remembered the words he shared with Jonas just an hour before, as he stood in the arena, looking at him in the stands. Jonas was looking right back at him, not diverting his stare even when Marco sat down in the seat next to him.

"Just… keep calm. Don't let your emotions take over, that won't accomplish anything." - Jonas hoped that his thoughts would somehow reach Daniel.

Marco noticed Jonas was deep in his thoughts. He wanted to try and lighten the mood, but decided against it because Jonas seemed to be genuinely concerned about the upcoming duel.

"There's no way this is going to be good. If Daniel wins, Levi is not going to have a fun time. And if Levi wins… I don't know what Daniel would do, but I don't want to find out." - Jonas continued his inner monologue, and looked at Levi, who was just about ready to start the duel - "If I were you I'd be worried. Dan's a man on a mission right now, and you're just an _obstacle_." - he thought, remembering Daniel's previous words, as the event was just about to start.

 **IDC - Round 6 - Duelists remaining: 16**

 **Turn 1 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Let's just get this done." - Daniel thought, drawing the top 5 cards of his deck, and looking at his hand - "There's a card here that's unusable right now, but I can cause a bit of pain with this hand."

"Using my Scale 2 **Igknight Gallant** and Scale 7 **Igknight Veteran** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - Daniel wasted no time in starting his turn. A heavily armoured green warrior appeared to his left, wielding a combination of a gun and a blade with both his hands. To the right of him, Veteran wore black armour with bright blue highlights, and he too was armed with something that was composed of multiple weapons - a sword, an axe and an Uzi.

"These guys won't be sticking around for long! I activate the effect of **Igknight Gallant** , destroying both Igknights in my Pendulum Zone, and adding a FIRE Warrior from my deck to my hand." - the two Igknights disappeared from the field, as Daniel's duel disk shuffled its deck, then extended the top card of the deck so he could take it - "I add the Scale 7 **Igknight Margrave** to my hand. And using him and the Scale 2 **Igknight Cavalier** in my hand, I set the Pendulum Scale once more!"

Cavalier, being the lower scale, appeared to Daniel's left, heavily armoured in cold pink steel, while Margrave wore less armour, and wielded two gunblades in his hands.

"Now, I'll Pendulum Summon **Gallant** and **Veteran** back from the extra deck!" - the two appeared on the field once more, this time directly in front of Daniel, as opposed to the two scales, which were off to the side.

"Now, I overlay my Level 6 **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Veteran**! Come forth, warrior of light! Xyz Summon! **Photon Strike Bounzer**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2000)" - a creature appeared, made of solid light, resembling a beast more than a warrior. Its glowing body was covered in sleek, pointy, red and black armour. The armour had two holes on the shoulders with two glowing orbs inside them, resembling a giant pair of eyes.

"I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn." - Daniel said, as a set card appeared vertically in front of him.

 **Turn 2 - Levi (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - Levi said, also keen to waste no more time than necessary on this duel.

"Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon **Super Quantum Red Layer** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 800) from my hand!" - he said, as the red warrior appeared in front of him, then without pause continued - "And next, I Normal Summon **Super Quantal Fairy Alphan**! (LIGHT/Fairy/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - a rabbit-looking fairy appeared, with a black four-pointed star on its back, and three small balls of light orbiting around it - one red, one green and one blue.

"What's he going to do with a weak Level 1?" - Jonas overheard a few people in the crowd, but Levi immediately answered that question.

"I use **Alphan** 's effect, and target **Red Layer**! Now, all monsters I control become that monster's Level!"

 **Super Quantal Fairy Alphan:** Level 1 to Level 5

"And now, since you quite seem to like Xyz Summons, I'll do one of my own. I overlay my Level 5 **Super Quantum Red Layer** and **Super Quantal Fairy Alphan**! Xyz Summon! **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger**! (FIRE/Machine/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 2000)" - the two monsters turned into pure light, shot up in the sky, and combined with each other to create a grand mechanical lion. It had two Xyz Materials orbiting it, one red, and one white.

"I remember this monster." - Daniel thought - "He summoned it against Marco as well. And now if he does what I think he'll do…"

"I use **Magnaliger** 's effect!" - Levi said, not even giving Daniel enough time to finish thinking.

"Fantastic." - Daniel smirked.

"I detach one Xyz Material, and destroy one monster on the field!" - the red lion consumed the white Xyz Material, charged up a shot for a few seconds, then shot it towards Photon Strike Bounzer, creating a large explosion right in front of Daniel. When the smoke cleared, Levi was surprised to find Bounzer still standing, but before he could even ask what happened, Daniel butted in.

"When you activate a monster effect, I can detach one Xyz Material from **Photon Strike Bounzer**." - he said - "Then, I negate your effect, and burn you for 1000 damage!"

Levi frowned, as Bounzer fired two shots of concentrated light straight towards him.

 **Levi:** LP 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"I'll have to change my plans for next turn then." - he thought.

"I'll set one card. Your turn." - Levi said, displeased with the fact that the duel wasn't panning out as he intended.

 **Turn 3 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Photon Strike Bounzer, **Pendulum Cards:** Igknight Cavalier, Igknight Margrave **)**

"This card's still just sitting there, waiting to be used." - Daniel thought, looking at the card that's been haunting him since turn one, as he drew a new one off the top of his deck - "But **Paladin** … that I can work with."

"I activate the effect of **Igknight Cavalier** , destroying both cards in my scales, and adding **Igknight Templar** from my deck to my hand! Then, just like that, using the Scale 2 **Igknight Paladin** and Scale 7 **Igknight Templar** , I'll reset the Pendulum Scale!" - two Igknights appeared, immediately replacing the ones that were just destroyed. Both wore armour that was similar in shape, but Templar on the right had bronze highlights on his ash-coloured armour, and while the armour of Paladin on the right was mostly the same dull grey colour, it was interrupted by lavender-coloured highlights, making Paladin stand out more than Templar.

"Now, using the Pendulum Scale, I'll Pendulum Summon **Cavalier** and **Margrave** back from the extra deck!" - the pink and red warriors had barely any time to appear, as Levi immediately countered Daniel's move.

"I activate my Counter Trap! **Solemn Warning**! I pay 2000 life points, and just like that, both monsters you summoned are now gone!" - he said.

 **Levi:** LP 3000 - 2000 = 1000

"Well, I guess the least I could expect after countering his move is that he'll get one back on me." - Daniel thought - "How inconvenient. I guess his defeat is delayed until next turn then."

"Battle Phase! **Photon Strike Bounzer** , attack **Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger**!" - Bounzer once again shot two light beams out of its shoulders, annihilating Magnaliger in the process.

 **Levi:** LP 1000 - 100 = 900

"The effect of **Red Layer** activates when it's sent to the grave!" - Levi said, not backing down - "It can Special Summon a Super Quant monster from the graveyard, except itself, but that monster cannot activate its effect." - Super Quantal Fairy Alphan once again appeared on the field, this time in defense position.

"I end my turn." - Daniel said.

 **Turn 4 - Levi (LP - 900 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Super Quantal Fairy Alphan **)**

"I'm done playing around." - Levi muttered, as he looked at Daniel's field with a certain disgust in his expression - "Time to get this over with quickly."

"I Normal Summon **Super Quantum Green Layer**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1400)" - Green Layer appeared in front of him, unsurprisingly wearing a green helmet and armour, and not one but two capes - "When **Green Layer** is summoned, I can Special Summon another **Super Quantum** monster from my hand! Come forward, **Super Quantum Blue Layer**! (WATER/Psychic/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 2000)" - a new warrior appeared, slightly smaller in size than the other Super Quantums, wearing a blue helmet. She had two irregular hexagonal shields on her arm, and wore primarily blue armour, apart from the torso section, which was white.

"When **Blue Layer** is summoned, I can add a Super Quant card from my deck to my hand!" - Levi continued - "And I'll immediately use the card that I added. I activate the Field Spell - **Super Quantal Mech Ship Magnacarrier**!" - the playing field changed, and both duelists were now standing inside a giant empty carrier.

"It's a shame this carrier has nothing to carry." - Levi said - "How about we set that right?"

"How will you do that?" - Daniel asked - "All your monsters have different Levels, and you can't even use the effect of **Alphan**."

"How will I do that? I'll show you how! I discard both cards from my hand, so I can give my pilots something to pilot!" - two monsters appeared, one after the other. The first one was a large mechanical bird, with razor sharp green wings, and the other resembled two mechanical dolphins that were loosely attached together with a weirdly shaped metallic bar.

"What… what happened?" - Daniel asked in disbelief.

"I used the effect of **Magnacarrier** , that's what happened." - Levi answered - "By discarding one card, I can Xyz Summon my Mech Beasts with only one Xyz Material." - he explained, and the crowd went silent.

"Now, let's get to the good part!" - Levi smirked - "I send **Super Quantal Mech Ship Magnacarrier** to the graveyard!" - his smirk turned to a full-blown grin, as both Daniel and the surrounding crowd looked on in confusion.

"Now, I take three different Super Quantal Mech Beasts, either on my field or in the graveyard, and use them as Xyz Materials!" - the gasps of confusion from the crowd stopped, and silence reigned over the arena for a few seconds, before Levi continued.

"And I use them to summon the ultimate king of machines! God and machine combine to become one! Appear! **Super Quantal Mech King Great Magnus**! (LIGHT/Machine/Rank 12/ATK 3600/DEF 3200)" - a gigantic mech appeared, casting a shadow over the entire stadium. Its white head had two large wings either side of it, which were that of Aeroboros, its torso was composed of Magnaliger's body, and its legs were the two mechanical dolphins of Grampulse. The Mech Beast all combined into one, creating a truly terrifying sight to behold.

"Everyone looks so tiny compared to that thing." - Daniel thought, but didn't let the size of Levi's monster get to him any more than that, as he focused on the task at hand - winning the duel.

"I use the effect of **Great Magnus** , detaching one of its Xyz Materials, and shuffling one card on the field into the deck!" - Levi said, as Great Magnus absorbed one of the five orbs that were circling around him, and shot a powerful blast towards Photon Strike Bounzer.

"I activate the effect of…" - Daniel started saying, but was blown away by Magnus' blast, as Photon Strike Bounzer turned into nothing but light particles in front of him - "Why couldn't I use his effect?" - he asked once he got back up.

" **Great Magnus** is unaffected by all card effects, except those of Super Quant cards, as long as he has four or more Xyz Materials." - Levi replied - "Now, it's time for battle!"

The three parts of Great Magnus, as well as the king himself, each launched their own separate attack, and their four multi-coloured light orbs combined into one giant one, and headed straight towards Daniel's field, enveloping him in blinding light. After about a minute of laying down on the floor and listening to the combined gasps and cheers of the crowd, Daniel got up on his feet, as the light around him became less intense, and opened his eyes now that he would no longer be temporarily blinded by doing so.

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 3600 = 400

"I end my turn with this. Now tell me, what can you do against the ultimate machine god?" - Levi asked in an arrogant tone of voice, almost assured of his victory at this point.

After regaining his composure, Daniel smirked, looking at the card that was in his hand from the very start of the duel.

 **Turn 5 - Daniel (LP - 400 / Hand - 1 / Field - Pendulum Cards:** Igknight Paladin, Igknight Templar **)**

"What can I do? I'll show you! Draw!" - he said.

"I activate **Dragon's Mirror**!" - Daniel revealed the card that had been bothering him for a while now, much to the surprise of everyone in the audience, including Marco and Jonas.

"By banishing its Fusion Materials from my graveyard, I can Fusion Summon one Dragon-Type Fusion Monster from my extra deck!" - he proclaimed.

"And what is that going to do?" - Levi asked, unfazed by the entire situation.

"Oh don't worry, you'll see." - Daniel grinned, and his voice suddenly became louder, more confident, and a touch insane, as he knew this duel was his to win.

"I banish **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Veteran** from my graveyard! Appear before us, prime dragon, the maker of all that was and all that ever will be! Soar through the skies, and make the earth itself tremble in fear before your might! Fusion Summon, the creator and destroyer of worlds! **First of the Dragons**! (DARK/Dragon/Level 9/ATK 2700/DEF 2000)"

A giant shadow was cast over the arena, as if a roof had suddenly appeared over it. The dragon's giant body was slowly moving over it, as it flew into the distance, leaving the field looking as if nothing had happened. Unfazed by all of this, Daniel continued his turn.

"From my hand, I activate **Raigeki**! I think you should be aware of what this card does."

"Everyone knows what **Raigeki** does?" - Levi asked, as the Fairy in front of him burst much like a balloon would - "But unfortunately for you, **Great Magnus** is still unaffected by card effects." - as this was going on, the dragon in the distance loomed ever larger.

"Next, I activate the Trap Card **Unbreakable Spirit**! Since I control only one monster, that monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of your weakest monster."

 **First of the Dragons:** ATK 2700 + 3600 = 6300

The giant dragon started rising upwards towards the clouds, and Levi knew he had to do something about it, as it now surpassed Great Magnus' ATK by a large margin.

"I activate the effect of **Great Magnus** …" - he started saying, but Daniel swiftly interrupted him.

"It's pointless!" - he screamed, as a shadow slowly reappeared over the playing field - " _You cannot defeat a god!_ "

First of the Dragons was now about a thousand feet up in the air, its massive horn-covered head completely blocking the sun. It looked down upon the arena, with its giant glowing red eyes being the only source of light in a playing field almost entirely enveloped in darkness.

" **First of the Dragons** , attack **Super Quantal Mech King Great Magnus**!"

The dragon opened its mouth, and let out a threatening roar. While immediately having no effect, the full consequences of its attack were soon easily visible, as the seemingly unbeatable Great Magnus started quaking, and was soon reduced to a pile of scrap, while Levi could do nothing but helplessly watch his strongest monster reduced to nothing, as he himself got blown back by the sheer force of the attack.

 **Levi:** LP 900 - 900 = 0

 **Round 6 winner: Daniel Brand**

The duel ended, and bright sunlight once again lit the field as First of the Dragons disappeared from the skies, and the crowd cheered. Without saying a word to his opponent, and showing no enthusiasm or happiness after just winning the duel, Daniel walked out of the arena.

* * *

Hannah listened to the raindrops coming from the outside, as she laid on a bed looking at the ceiling of a windowless room lit up by a single flickering lightbulb.

"I've been stuck in this room for a week now. No idea where this actually is, or what I'm doing here, but at least the bed's comfy." - she thought.

After about half an hour of laying on a bed, unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, she got up, and began wandering around the room she was being kept in, as she often did in the last week while trying to find any way to make the hours tick by that little bit faster. She aimlessly opened up the closet on the other end of the room, which only had a few pieces of slightly oversized spare clothing hanging in it.

"You know what, it just occurred to me that I never thought about who these clothes belong to. These look worn, there's no way they were bought in advance. And the person that brought me here quite clearly isn't an 18-year-old girl. So were these bought for someone else? Was someone else here before me?" - as Hannah thought about this, she saw something she hadn't noticed before - a card, laying face-down in the corner of the closet.

"How did I miss this?" - she said, climbing into the closet, as she was otherwise unable to reach the card - "So I was right, someone was here before me."

She got out of the closet, quickly dusted herself off, then looked at the card she picked up, which was placed in a blue sleeve.

" **Limiter Removal** , huh?" - she said, walking over to the night stand next to her bed.

"I'm surprised they left me with this." - she said, picking up her deck box, and placing the card in it - "From what Sara said, they're quite keen on having a card in my deck, so I thought they'd take it." - she laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep but knowing that her attempts will ultimately end up being unsuccessful.

"Then again, it's not like I'm going anywhere any time soon."


	12. Lanterns

**Chapter 12 - Lanterns**

"Thanks for letting me borrow your deck, by the way." - Sara said, handing a deck back to the blonde man walking next to her.

"No problem. I know you couldn't afford getting caught." - the man replied - "Who's this girl you brought back with you?"

"She's the reason I came back here. She was being held in custody of this guy, I never got his name. He almost seemed to regret what he was doing though, so there must have been a higher power commanding him to do it." - she answered.

"Do you think it was…"

"Definitely. She is the holder of one of the Dracoslayers. There's no way she isn't connected to all of this." - Sara interrupted him.

"Did she say anything when you rescued her?"

"Very little. I asked her for her name and how long she was kept there. She said around eight months, then fell asleep, and she's been sleeping pretty much since." - Sara said, as the blonde man opened the door to their cramped house, wanting to scope out their surroundings to make sure they were safe for the upcoming night.

"I guess being held captive really takes a toll on someone. What did she say her name…" - he didn't manage to finish his question, instead turning his head at the sound of nearby footsteps, only to find two people coming towards them, one sprinting and the other calmly walking.

* * *

"Can you track him somehow?" - Ella asked, as she regained composure and picked up her brother's duel disk from the ground.

"I think I can." - Niall replied - "The duel disk always preserves information of who the owner dueled last, and if I can pull that data out I might be able to track that duel disk."

"Great! Get on it!"

"Only one problem though." - Niall said - "We need a decent power source. We'll have to either go back to base or find something around here."

"So it's either having to walk back for four hours or finding someone in the middle of this godforsaken wasteland." - Ella's enthusiasm dampened.

"Yeah, unfortunately. So what do you reckon we should do?"

"We'll look around. It's possible that whoever took Ian might be around here still."

Niall nodded, and both of them started heading towards what appeared to be a small village, barely visible on the horizon as the sun was slowly starting to set. After half an hour of walking they entered the village, if it could even be called that. Through it ran a short asphalt road, and there were about 15 houses on each side of it, all of which looked completely empty on first sight. As both of them were starting to give up any hope of finding someone, they saw someone exit the house right at the end of the desolate road they were walking down. Ella immediately began sprinting towards these people. She nearly tackled the blonde man standing at the door, but he managed to dodge her charge and she fell down to the ground. She laid down on the dusty road for a bit, then quickly got back up and pointed at the man who was staring at her with a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Where is he?" - she shouted.

"Where is who?" - the man asked, no less confused about the entire situation.

"My brother, where is he?" - Ella insisted.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I think you know!"

"I think I don't!"

Sara and Niall both watched the argument swing back and forth like a pendulum, without reaching any sort of conclusion, as Ella grew increasingly angry at the fact she wasn't getting answers.

"I swear if you don't answer me soon, I'll…" - instead of finishing this sentence, she pushed the man with such force that he almost fell to the ground. After a brief pause, he got back up, and started charging towards Ella, only for Sara to stop him at the last moment.

"Francis, relax!" - she said, jumping in his way. While he slowly calmed himself down, Ella was preparing her duel disk.

"If you don't want to tell me the truth, then I guess I'll just have to use force!"

Francis wanted to once again say he has no idea what she's talking about, but Niall jumped in front of Ella with much the same intentions as Sara, attempting to calm the situation down before it escalates.

"Ella, there's no need for this." - Niall blurted out, but before Ella could reply to him, a voice came from behind.

"No, let her." - Francis said - "I'm up for a duel if she wants one. I might be able to beat some sense into her."

"And what makes you think you can beat me?" - Ella asked, watching Francis ready his duel disk.

"What makes you think I can't?" - he smirked.

"Duel!"

 **Turn 1 - Francis (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"These are the first people we've seen in a long time, and he's risking making them our enemy." - Sara looked at Francis disapprovingly, as he began his turn.

"I Normal Summon **Hieratic Dragon of Eset**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 5/ATK 1900/DEF 1200)" - a dragon appeared, slightly larger than the average human. Its entire body was a solid light purple colour, and it wore armour over various parts of its body, including over its wings and on its tail.

"You can't just Normal Summon a Level 5 like that." - Ella remarked.

"I can, actually. **Eset** 's effect allows me to Normal Summon it without a Tribute, but its ATK becomes 1000."

 **Hieratic Dragon of Eset:** ATK 1900 to 1000

"Next, I activate **Hieratic Seal of Supremacy** , which allows me to Special Summon a Hieratic monster from my hand!" - a circle appeared in the sky, with various hieroglyphs written in its edges, and down from it slowly descended a large bronze egg-shaped monster.

"I summon **Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Gemini/Level 6/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - the giant bronze egg now finished its descent, and cast a large, though barely visible shadow, as the dark clouds above it started roaring with the sound of thunder.

"Now, I'll use the effect of **Dragon of Eset** , which allows me to change the Level of all Hieratic monsters I control to the Level of one Dragon-Type Normal Monster I control. And, since I'm sure you know that Gemini monsters are Normal Monsters on the field, I can change **Eset** 's Level to 6!"

 **Hieratic Dragon of Eset:** Level 5 to 6

"Now I'll overlay my Level 6 **Hieratic Dragon of Eset** and **Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King**! Descend, god of creation! Xyz Summon, **Hieratic Dragon King of Atum**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Rank 6/ATK 2400/DEF 2100)" - Dragon of Eset turned into a ball of purple light, which flew to the top of the bronze seal above it. Purple light started slowly filling all the intricate crevices of the seal, which then opened, revealing inside it a dark blue dragon. It wore shining golden armour on its wings and legs, and its tail was completely covered in golden plating. The shield-shaped armour on its chest had a faintly glowing Eye of Horus on it, out of which came two bright orbs that started orbiting around the dragon in opposite directions of each other. The dragon stood up on its hind legs and roared to the thundering skies, as the seal it came out of disappeared in a bright white flash.

"I use the effect of **Hieratic Dragon King of Atum** , and detach one Xyz Material from it!" - one of the orbs going around the dragon was absorbed back into its chestplate - "Now, I can summon one Dragon-Type monster from my deck, but its ATK and DEF become zero! I summon **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - a giant golden seal, bigger than the one before it, appeared on the field, with a bright red Eye of Horus right in its very centre.

"I'll place one card face-down and end my turn." - Francis said, then thought - "I've got **Hieratic Seal of Reflection** set. So whatever she plays, I can just tribute a Hieratic monster and negate it. And then I'm all set for next turn."

Niall was standing next to Sara observing the duel, and the two had no hostility towards each other, but gave up on attempting to explain that this entire thing is a big misunderstanding. Suddenly, Niall remembered what they came here for.

"Say, do you guys happen to have a power source anywhere?" - he asked Sara under his breath.

"Yeah, inside the house. What do you need it for?" - she said in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the duel.

"Can we get inside the house? I'll explain it further." - Niall replied, and Sara went inside the house and signalled him to follow her. Neither duelist noticed that they just lost their only two spectators, and both were instead focused on the task at hand.

 **Turn 2 - Ella (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - Ella said, barely managing to sneak a look at her hand before starting the move she had planned out on the last turn.

"Using my Scale 1 **Metalfoes Silverd** and Scale 8 **Metalfoes Steelen** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - two people appeared either side of her, both wearing strikingly similar bodysuits, which were primarily black and red, with a green line separating the two colours. To her left was a purple-haired woman, wearing a mask of the same colour over her mouth, and holding a black laser gun in her left hand. To the right was a man with gravity-defying light blue hair and a black mouthpiece, holding a thin flaming blade in his right hand.

"Now I'll use the effect of **Metalfoes Silverd** to destroy **Metalfoes Steelen**!"

"Destroying cards you just placed on the field? What's the point of that?"

"Just shut up and watch." - Ella replied, slightly irked at the interruption - "Using **Silverd** 's effect, I set **Metalfoes Fusion** directly from my deck!"

"It might soon be the time to use my set card. Let's just see where she goes with this." - Francis thought.

"Next I'll replace the just destroyed **Steelen** by setting **Metalfoes Volflame** in the Pendulum Scale!" - another man appeared, his dark blonde hair forming two symmetrical spikes pointed backwards, wearing the exact same bodysuit as the rest of the Metalfoes.

"Now I'll Pendulum Summon, from my extra deck, **Metalfoes Steelen**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 2100)" - Steelen appeared on the field once more, this time riding a metallic motorcycle made out of pure steel, with a shining flame ball underneath the chassis which seemed to be providing the vehicle with power.

"Next I'll activate my set **Metalfoes Fusion**!" - Ella already began signalling which two monsters she was fusing, but Francis interrupted her.

"I activate my Counter Trap Card - **Hieratic Seal of Reflection**! By tributing **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord** , I negate the activation of **Metalfoes Fusion** and destroy it!"

Both duelists watched on as the Spell Card on Ella's field shattered into pieces, and Francis smirked.

"Well it would appear your trump card got taken away. What now?" - he asked.

"I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** in the Graveyard." - Ella said in a calm, almost soothing voice - "I shuffle it into the deck, and draw 1 card."

"Well isn't that just grand. I get rid of what's probably the most important card in her deck, and she just goes and recycles it. Serves me right for being arrogant I guess." - Francis thought - "I presume she'll just go ahead and search it again."

"I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Volflame** , destroying **Metalfoes Silverd** in the scale and setting **Metalfoes Fusion** from my deck again."

"Yeah she will." - Francis ended his train of thought as Ella ended her play.

" _Now_ I activate **Metalfoes Fusion** , and this time without any interruptions! I fuse **Metalfoes Steelen** on the field and **Metalfoes Silverd** in my hand! Merge, man and machine! Ascend as the apocalypse approaches, and set the earth alight with the flames of mayhem! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Adamante**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 2500)" - Steelen rose up in the air, as the motorcycle he was riding on disassembled itself, and started slowly connecting parts of itself to its rider's steel armour. The exhaust pipes attached themselves to his waist, and the two wheels connected themselves to the shoulder pads. The number of swords Steelen was wielding doubled, and Adamante now held two flaming blades, one in each hand.

" **Metalfoes Adamante** , attack **Hieratic Dragon King of Atum**!" - Ella exclaimed as Adamante charged towards Atum, using its flaming swords to slice the dragon in half.

 **Francis:** LP 4000 - 100 = 3900

"I set one card." - Ella ended her turn as a face-down card appeared vertically in front of her.

Back in the house, Sara questioned Niall about why he and Ella were here now that they weren't disturbing the duel.

"So, why do you need power?" - she asked.

"To find Ella's brother. He went missing, and we tracked his location, but found that he doesn't have his duel disk." - he explained.

"So, what now?"

"Now I want to find the person he dueled last, to try and find out what happened. I've got all the necessary data to find them, but I just need…"

"Power. Got it." - Sara finished the sentence for him, as Francis finished drawing a card.

 **Turn 3 - Francis (LP 3900 / Hand - 1 / Field - X)**

"I activate the card I just drew!" - he said " **Hieratic Seal of Convocation** , which allows me to add a Hieratic monster from my deck to my hand! And, by banishing **Hieratic Dragon of Eset** and **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord** from my graveyard, I can Special Summon the monster I just searched. Come forth, **Hieratic Dragon of Asar**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 7/ATK 2600/DEF 700)" - a bright green dragon appeared, covered almost entirely in bronze armour.

"Next, I Normal Summon **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 400)" - Dragon of Gebeb stood up on its hind legs, its armour covered body radiating a faint yellow glow.

"Battle Phase! **Hieratic Dragon of Asar** , attack **Metalfoes Adamante**!" - the bright green dragon wrapped its snake-like body around Adamante, causing it to burst into hundreds of small metal pieces.

 **Ella:** LP 4000 - 100 = 3900

"Next, **Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb** attacks directly." - the dragon opened its mouth and shot a large golden light stream towards Ella's empty field.

 **Ella:** LP 3900 - 1800 = 2100

"I end my turn." - Francis stated, slightly more confident about his chances of beating his opponent.

Just as he said that, Niall finally managed to get enough power to run the tracking software on his duel disk again.

"Is it working?" - Sara asked.

"Yeah." - Niall replied - "I've already started the search. It'll take a few minutes."

"So we'll have to find some way to fill time." - Sara looked through the window - "Shall we go check out what they're doing?" - she asked, and Niall nodded as both of them headed back out.

 **Turn 4 - Ella (LP - 2100 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set, **Pendulum Cards:** Metalfoes Volflame **)**

"My turn, draw!" - Ella said - "First of all, I'll use the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** in my graveyard, shuffle it back into the deck, and draw a card!"

"Next, I activate **Metalfoes Goldriver** to re-set the Pendulum Scale!" - another man appeared next to Volflame, with a relatively tame haircut as compared to the other Metalfoes, wearing golden boots and matching armour, and wielding a flaming axe.

"I Pendulum Summon **Metalfoes Steelen** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 2100) and **Metalfoes Silverd** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 100) from my extra deck, then activate the effect of **Metalfoes Goldriver**! I destroy **Volflame** in my scale, and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from my deck once again!"

Francis looked on, well aware of what's coming.

"I activate **Metalfoes Combination**!" - Ella said - "But we'll get to that card soon, first off I'll activate **Metalfoes Fusion** , fusing **Steelen** and **Silverd**! Merge, man and machine! Descend from dizzying heights and destroy this desolate world and all that dares dwell in it! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Orichalc**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200)" - the monster that appeared was strikingly similar to Goldriver, except with an armour upgrade. Two wheels were attached to his arms, and two more to the spoiler which was attached to its back, overall creating a confusing and slightly ridiculous looking getup. Orichalc also wielded two fiery axes instead of one.

"Now, I can activate the effect of **Metalfoes Combination**! Since I just Fusion Summoned a monster, I can summon a monster from my graveyard whose Level is lower than the summoned monster's. Come back, **Metalfoes Adamante**!"

Ella entered her Battle Phase without pause.

" **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack **Hieratic Dragon of Asar**!" - Orichalc attempted to use one of its axes to break through Asar's thick armour, but was interrupted by Francis.

"I activate **Asar** 's effect. When it would be destroyed, I can tribute one Hieratic monster instead." - he said as Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb disappeared off the field.

 **Francis:** LP 3900 - 200 = 3700

"And, when **Gebeb** is tributed, I can Special Summon one Hieratic Normal Monster from my deck! Once again, I summon **Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord** in defense position!" - he said as a golden orb appeared above him - "Now I've got a solid defense set up, so next turn…" - he didn't manage to finish that sentence, as Ella started laughing.

"You just screwed yourself!" - she said - "If you just left your field as is, I wouldn't have beaten you this turn. But now, you're going to lose."

"Explain." - Francis said, confused.

"So I shall. You see, when **Metalfoes Orichalc** is on the field, all my Metalfoes monsters deal double piercing damage."

" _Double?_ " - Sara's eyes widened, as Niall next to her simply nodded.

"Now, **Metalfoes Adamante** , attack **Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord**!"

Francis was pushed back a few feet, barely resisting being knocked off his feet, as Ella launched her duel-ending attack.

 **Francis:** LP 3700 - 3700 = 0

As soon as the attack finished, Ella started walking towards him, still adamant on finding out what happened to her brother. Niall got in her way before she could make her way over to Francis.

"I've started the search for Ian's opponent." - he said - "It's going to be done any moment now."

"How did you do that?" - Ella asked.

"Well, she let me use their power source." - Niall answered, his thumb pointing to Sara right behind him.

"Wait, they let you use…" - Ella was confused about the present situation - "So you mean they didn't take him?"

Niall went to reply, but was interrupted by Francis.

"That's what I've been telling you all along, but you wouldn't listen!" - he shouted at Ella, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean you _were_ being very cryptic, refusing to answer my questions and all." - she said.

"I didn't answer your questions because _I couldn't!_ "

Just as another argument was about to break out between the pair of them, Sara barged into the conversation.

"So, while you two were arguing, Niall managed to track down the location of the person who took your brother." - she said - "Now, do you want to keep messing around here, or do you want us to find him?"

"What do you mean _us?_ " - Ella asked.

"I mean we're going with you. We don't have anything better to do, and you might need some assistance in the wasteland."

"Screw that, I'm not going with them." - Francis said.

"Yes you are." - Sara cut him off - "Or would you like to spend the next few days alone like you have been for the past year?"

Francis looked at her with a defeated look on his face, then turned his head towards the door, as Niall was just leaving their house.

"I've finalized the search." - he said, showing the coordinates to the three of them.

"So he should be there." - Sara said, pointing to a city barely visible on the horizon - "In the ruins of Neo Ragusa."


	13. Trial by Fire

**Chapter 13 - Trial by Fire**

"I guess it had to happen eventually." - Jonas thought, approaching the arena in Central Neo Ragusa, where the semi-finals were just about to start.

"I've barely seen him in the past two weeks since he defeated Levi. I watched his top eight duel too, but other than that he's been completely under the radar."

He stopped at the entrance to the stadium, and took a deep breath.

"And I know he wants to beat me more than anything right now, since Damien's already gone through to the finals. It'll be really difficult to beat him, but I'll be damned if I don't give it my all."

After that brief pause to think, Jonas continued walking towards the playing field, which was now in his sight. The crowd was eagerly waiting for him to enter, as Daniel was already stood on the other side of the field, and so Jonas was greeted by a thunderous cheer as everyone was keen to see the duel get going. Jonas looked around to see the stadium was almost packed, then took one more deep breath, and readied his duel disk. He could barely notice Daniel mouthing the words "good luck" from across the field, and knowing that he wouldn't be audible from the roars of the crowd, Jonas just gave him a thumbs up, and the duel began.

 **IDC - Round 8 - Semi-finals**

 **Turn 1 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll start us off!" - Jonas said - "I activate two Fire Formations: **Tenki** and **Tensu**!"

" **Tenki** allows you to add one Beast-Warrior from your deck to your hand, and **Tensu** gives you an additional summon per turn." - Daniel said, as the crowd became quieter and were now paying attention to the duel that finally started.

"Well you would know, wouldn't you?" - Jonas said, adding Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo to his hand - "I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo** and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**!" - the field now had a giant orange bear, and an equally large blue buffalo on the field, accompanied by their respective warriors - "Now, I'll overlay both of them! Descend, oh grand protector of justice and high commander of the heavenly spirits! Rise to the skies like a phoenix, rain down fire on the unjust, and gaze upon this wretched land that will soon be yours! Xyz Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1800)" - a white tiger materialized on the field, larger than both animals that combined to make it, and in front of it stood a man in gleaming golden armour, around whom orbited two flaming orbs, representing the card's Xyz Materials.

"When **Tiger King** is Xyz Summoned, I can set one Fire Formation card from my Deck." - a Trap Card appeared briefly in front of Jonas before setting itself face-down onto the field - "I set **Fire Formation - Tensen** and end my turn."

"Let's see what he's got. I've played with him quite a few times already but he seems to have new tricks up his sleeve for the tournament." - Jonas thought, as Daniel drew a card, and started his turn.

 **Turn 2 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"My turn!" - he said - "I'll start by using my Scale 2 **Igknight Crusader** and Scale 7 **Igknight Squire** to set the Pendulum Scale!" - on the far left of Daniel's field, slightly above the ground, hovered a sword-wielding warrior, wearing mostly black metallic armour and a sky blue helmet. The one on the right had armour that was half-gold and half-black, with a black and silver helmet, which had a stylized golden letter V on it.

"Next I'll use their effects, destroying both Igknights in my Scale, and searching out **Igknight Templar**! Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale once more using **Igknight Paladin** and **Igknight Templar**!" - the lavender-coloured warrior was on the left, and the bronze one on the right, but neither stuck around for long, as Daniel performed another search.

"I add **Igknight Cavalier** to my hand, and using it and **Igknight Margrave** , I set the Pendulum Scale for the third time!"

The audience went to a state of temporary boredom, watching Daniel add card after card to his hand, but he finally appeared ready to start doing something else.

"From my extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Squire** , **Crusader** , **Paladin** and **Templar**!" - he said, as the four Igknights appeared in front of him, much to the crowd's exaltation - "But they're not going to be here for long! I overlay my Level 3 **Igknight Squire** and **Igknight Crusader**! Xyz Summon! **Lavalval Ignis**! (FIRE/Warrior/Rank 3/ATK 1800/DEF 1400)" - the monster that appeared had its body mostly covered in matte grey armour, with a tattered red cape attached to it. Its head, hands and shoulders were exposed, and on fire. In its right hand was a sword and in the left a shield, both of which were made out of molten rock.

"Next, I overlay the Level 4 **Igknight Paladin** and **Igknight Templar**! Raise to the skies a sword so bright that it put an end to this winter night! Xyz Summon! **Heroic Champion - Excalibur**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000)" - the first thing that appeared was a large sword, with a thin, flat steel blade and a golden hilt in the shape of a phoenix. Beneath it appeared a warrior armoured in red steel, who raised his right hand towards the sky as the sword above him slowly descended towards into his grasp.

"Now that's a card I've seen." - Jonas thought - " **Excalibur** can be quite terrifying. And given that both his monsters are weaker than **Tiger King** , I bet we'll see its power right about now."

"I activate the effect of **Heroic Champion - Excalibur**!" - Daniel said, and Jonas just nodded in response - "By detaching two Xyz Materials, **Excalibur** 's attack doubles until the end of your turn!"

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 2000 x2 = 4000

"Battle Phase! **Excalibur** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King**!"

"I activate my set Trap Card - **Fire Formation - Tensen**!" - Jonas countered his attack - "Which raises the ATK of all my Beast-Warrior monsters by 300, and raises **Tiger King** 's ATK by an additional 700!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King:** ATK 2400 + 300 + 700 = 3400

"Not enough to protect you from **Excalibur** though! And after that, your field will be wide open!" - Daniel said.

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 600 = 3400

"You're half right!" - Jonas said - " **Tiger King** will still get destroyed. But when it does, I can send three Fire Formations from my field to the graveyard, then Special Summon two Beast-Warriors with the same ATK from my deck! Come forth, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 600) and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 400)!" - three fireballs disappeared, and two people materialized on Jonas' field, kneeling in defense position, one with a giant flaming snake wrapped around it, and another wearing black armour, with nine small fiery dragon heads all around him.

" **Lavalval Ignis** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon**!" - Ignis used its flaming shield to ram into Dragon, who after being thrown back quickly disappeared off the field.

"I'll set a card." - Daniel said, a card appearing vertically in front of him as he ended his turn.

 **Turn 3 - Jonas (LP - 3400 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake **)**

"Okay, not bad. But I've still got plenty left." - Jonas thought, grabbing a card with his index and middle fingers and placing it on his duel disk.

"I summon **Coach Soldier Wolfbark**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - a grey wolf appeared, wearing goggles, golden armour, and standing on its hind legs - "And using its effect, I bring back **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)"

Jonas now had three monsters on his field, and the crowd looked on, eagerly waiting to see what he'll do next.

"I overlay my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake** and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! Come forth, oh noble priest, rider of morning mist and the summoner of wind! Descend, dragon in the clouds! Xyz Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 1800/DEF 2200)" - a bearded man robed in white clothing appeared, and around him flew a flaming red and white cardinal.

"I'll use **Cardinal** 's effect immediately!" - Jonas said, as the two flame orbs circling around Cardinal were absorbed into his belt - "I shuffle **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King** , as well as **Fire Formation - Tenki** from my graveyard into the deck, and then I shuffle two of your cards into the deck!" - the crowd started cheering, watching Jonas make a comeback, as both Daniel's Xyz Monsters disappeared back into the extra deck.

"And now your field is wide open! Time for battle! **Coach Soldier Wolfbark** , direct attack!"

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 1600 = 2400

"Next up, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal**!" - the bird flying above Jonas' field changed its path, and flew over to Daniel, circling above him as it rained down fire from its wings.

 **Daniel:** LP 2400 - 1800 = 600

After the attack ended, Daniel's field looked a bit burnt, but other than that he was completely unmoved by the attack, and waited for Jonas to finish his turn, which he promptly did.

"Let's see what he has." - Jonas thought - "I've got him on the ropes, and I have two monsters on my field. I'm sure he has something to get out of this situation, I'm just not sure what it is."

 **Turn 4 - Daniel (LP - 600 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set, **Pendulum Cards:** Igknight Cavalier, Igknight Margrave **)**

"Draw!" - Daniel smiled, seeing that the card he drew was Igknight Margrave.

"I don't like that smile." - Jonas thought - "Surely he can't break this field in one turn."

"I destroy both cards in my Pendulum Scale, and add **Igknight Cavalier** from my deck to my hand! Then, using **Igknight Cavalier** and **Igknight** **Margrave** , I set the Pendulum Scale again!" - the two Igknights either side of Daniel disappeared, only to be replaced by the exact same cards moments later.

"Now, I'll Pendulum Summon back **Igknight Cavalier** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1200) and **Igknight Margrave**! (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 1500/DEF 2500)" - two warriors appeared, exactly identical to ones in Daniel's Pendulum Scales, creating a rather confusing situation, which fortunately didn't last for very long since Daniel immediately continued with his turn.

"I'll overlay my Level 5 **Cavalier** and **Margrave**! Xyz Summon, Rank 5! **Shark Fortress**! (DARK/Fish/Rank 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1800)" - a navy green machine appeared, slightly resembling a shark. In its mouth was a room surrounded in glass, with an empty captain's seat in it, and just to the side of it were two sets of three pink headlights, resembling eyes. Its underside was a giant cylindrical hangar, which currently had nothing in it.

"I use **Shark Fortress** ' effect! By detaching one Xyz Material, I can allow it to attack twice this turn!" - Daniel said.

"So he can break my field. The thing is, next turn all I need to do is deal 600 damage to him, and he's toast." - Jonas thought - "Unless…" - his mind immediately jumped to Daniel's set card, which he activated soon after Jonas finished his thought process.

"I activate **Igknight Burst**!" - the face-down card laying vertically in front of Daniel opened up - "During my Main Phase, I can destroy any number of Igknight cards I control!" - Daniel said, as the two cards in his Pendulum Scales disappeared.

"And then what?" - Jonas asked, worried about what was coming next.

"And then I can return the same number of cards from your field to your hand!"

Jonas' eyes widened, as he looked on in disbelief of the two monsters on his field disappearing, one coming back to his hand, and the other to the extra deck.

"Wait…" - he mumbled, but Daniel didn't oblige.

"Battle Phase! **Shark Fortress** , direct attack!" - a missile launcher extended in the monster's hangar, and out of it came a rocket which shot straight towards Jonas' field.

 **Jonas:** LP 3400 - 2400 = 1000

Daniel waited for the smoke to clear before declaring his last attack. Shark Fortress fired another missile towards Jonas' empty field, and just like that the duel was over.

 **Jonas:** LP 1000 - 1000 = 0

 **Round 8 winner: Daniel Brand**

Instead of walking away as soon as the duel was over, like he did with Levi, Daniel approached Jonas and offered him a hand so he could get up easier.

"Great work!" - Jonas said once he was up on his feet - "Wasn't expecting **Shark Fortress**."

"Yeah, it was a last minute addition."

They shook hands, then stood around awkwardly for about ten seconds, looking around, while the air was being filled with cheers from the audience. As neither of them managed to think of something to say, they split, and started heading towards the exits. After they were about halfway there, Jonas turned around.

"Good luck!" - he shouted so Daniel could hear him through the roaring crowd.

Daniel just smiled in reply, then nodded, knowing exactly why Jonas was wishing him luck. The IDC final was scheduled to happen in three days, and he already knew that Damien had qualified. At this point, the only thing left to do was to beat him, which he knew would not happen easily.

* * *

"Day whatever, I've lost count. Still stuck in this room." - Hannah said, staring at the Limiter Removal in her hand, which she then carefully put back into her otherwise empty deck box.

"Damien comes around every now and again to check I haven't died. And I haven't yet. So that's nice." - she got up from the bed for her half-hourly session of pacing around the room for no particularly good reason.

Nothing exciting happened since she found Limiter Removal around a week ago, so her days were mostly spent wandering around the decently sized room she was put in, and occasionally looking at her cards, wondering where Luster and Majester came from.

"I know my deck inside out." - she would think - "Those cards weren't there before that duel. And then I was in a bit of a tight spot, and I just magically drew into **Luster**. Not that it helped much though."

She walked around from one wall of the room to the other for a few more minutes, then went over to the night stand next to her bed, and took the card she previously placed on the top of her deck, which stood right next to the deck box it's usually in.

" **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** , huh? Where did you come from?" - she stared at the card intently, as if a piece of cardboard was somehow going to reply to her question - "Hey, since you magically appeared in my deck out of nowhere, I wouldn't be surprised if something came out of this card and started talking to me."

She jumped when the card was almost knocked out of her hand, as if it did actually come alive, but it turned out to be a breeze coming from the direction of the now open door to the room. Hannah looked at it, holding out the faintest hope that whoever entered was here to get her out of this miserable situation, but let out a sigh of disappointment as she realized who it is. Damien looked around the room for a bit, then quickly closed the door so he wouldn't be seen, even though the house was in a fairly remote location.

"You again, huh?" - Hannah mumbled, wanting Damien to hear her, but hoping he doesn't - "I don't know what I was expecting."

Damien barely managed to make out what she was saying, but didn't say anything in reply to her snide remarks.

"Are you alright?" - he asked the same question he always did.

"If you can call being stuck in the same place for two weeks alright, then yeah, I guess I am." - she continued talking in a sarcastic tone, knowing that whatever this man wants to do with her, it doesn't involve harming her in any way, so she doesn't even have to pretend to be nice to him. Damien would usually ignore all of her comments, and go about doing what he had to, such as picking up her dirty clothes to clean them later, or restocking the fridge, all while pretending she doesn't even exist.

Hannah on the other hand, usually observed him go through his daily routine, while occasionally throwing a comment his way. What she couldn't help but notice was that, without fail, Damien always performed these jobs with a miserable look on his face, almost as if he didn't want to be there as much as her. Sometimes, to fill the time she had way too much of, she entertained the idea that this kidnapping wasn't entirely Daniel's doing, and that it was being orchestrated by some higher force. As much as the theory seemed plausible, she never thought about it for more than a minute or two, her mind drifting off to something completely unrelated instead. Her mind jumped back to this once more, as she again watched Damien perform these mundane tasks, and for the first time since being locked up she tried to get some information out of him.

"You know, it doesn't seem like I'll be leaving this room any time soon, so why don't you tell me why I'm here." - Hannah said, this time in a less snarky tone of voice hoping that, despite all odds, she might wind up getting some answers.

"I couldn't tell you even if I knew." - Damien muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said, I couldn't tell you even if I knew." - he said, raising his voice enough so that he was clearly understandable, breaking his habit of never talking to Hannah.

"Wait, you don't even know why I'm here?" - she asked in confusion, and Damien went back to not telling her anything, afraid of revealing what little information he does know.

A few more minutes passed, and Damien was just about done with his duties, and started walking over to the door, as Hannah was still sat on the bed eagerly awaiting some sort of answer which even she knew she wasn't going to get. Damien opened the door, and headed out.

"Alright, screw you then!" - Hannah shouted at him. He looked at her with a grim, almost despondent look on his face, then closed the door, sealing off the last rays of natural light, and the room was once again consumed by the depressing, joyless shine of an occasionally flickering lightbulb.


	14. Thunder of the Heavens

**Chapter 14 - Thunder of the Heavens**

"So what's the plan. You know, apart from beating Damien?" - Marco asked Daniel, who was nervously pacing around the room mere hours before the start of the final duel of the tournament.

"When I beat him…" - Daniel started laying out the plan, before taking a slight pause, and correcting himself - " _If_ I beat him, it'll be up to you guys to follow him and see where he's going. I won't be able to do it, given that he already knows me. It's unlikely that he'll just walk over to wherever he's keeping her, but any information helps."

"It seems weird to me, seeing how much you wanted to find Hannah in these past few weeks, that you haven't formulated a better plan than just telling us "follow this guy" and hoping nothing goes wrong." - Jonas commented, casually leaning against the wall opposite Daniel's bed, on which Marco was currently sitting.

"Can you come up with a better plan?" - Daniel asked, and Jonas shrugged - "Exactly. Besides, I don't think he's ever seen you two, so you'll be able to follow him without any problems. But still, be careful."

"You don't really need to tell us to be careful." - Marco said - "But what happens when we get to wherever he's going?"

"Again, presuming I win, I'll message you when the award ceremony is done, and you guys will tell me where you are. When he reaches his destination, you just wait for me."

"And what happens when you get there?" - Marco asked.

"We improvise." - Daniel replied, much to Jonas' chagrin.

"You know, for what seemed to be an elaborate plan at first, you do seem to leave a lot of things to improvisation." - Jonas said - "What happens if you don't win, for example?"

"Well, if I lose, we just wait until he's done with the award ceremony, and then do the same thing."

"And if we lose him at some point?" - Jonas continued.

"Well then it's your screw-up, not mine. Besides, why do you keep thinking everything will go wrong?" - Daniel said.

"Because it very well might!" - Jonas answered, expressing his slight annoyance with Daniel's nonchalant attitude towards what seemed to be a rather important thing.

"You know; he raises a good point." - Marco added, and the room fell quiet. The three of them barely managed to look each other in the eyes in the next few moments, let alone exchange a few words. After a couple minutes of silence, Jonas spoke up.

"I'll do it." - he seemed much less worried than he was a minute or two ago.

"You will?" - Daniel asked, almost surprised.

"Yeah. I still don't like it all that much, but I like the idea of Hannah rotting away in some room way less, so I'll do it."

"Great!" - Daniel chose to completely ignore Jonas' "rotting away" comment - "Now, go home, let me prepare for this duel, and I'll see you in a couple of hours." - he said, almost pushing the two out the door.

* * *

A couple of hours passed. All three of them were in the Neo Ragusa Duel Arena Zero, which was right in the middle of the city's central square. Two of them, Jonas and Marco, were sat down, waiting for the duel to start, while Daniel took to the main stage. He looked around the arena, which was jam-packed with spectators, before noticing his two friend sitting down in the first row. Marco gave him a thumbs up, to provide some minor encouragement for the upcoming duel, while Jonas was looking opposite Daniel, waiting for his opponent to make an appearance.

"Any moment now." - he thought, looking at the giant screen directly opposite him, which was counting down to noon, when the duel was about to start. The timer hit one minute to go, and as if on cue, Damien entered, wearing his usual outfit of a black trench coat over a red vest. Daniel glared at him, and both duelists started readying their duel disks, as the clock ticked down.

"Duel!" - after what seemed to be the longest minute of Daniel's life, the final match of the Championship started.

 **IDC - Round 9 - Finals**

 **Turn 1 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I know exactly what I need to do against you, Damien." - he thought, looking at his hand, all while his opponent seemed unbothered and relaxed, almost as if this was a casual duel between friends, and not the battle Daniel perceived it to be.

"I'll start us off." - he said - "Using the Scale 2 **Igknight Paladin** and Scale 7 **Igknight Templar** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - two warriors appeared either side of him - "But they won't be sticking around for long! I destroy both, and add **Igknight Veteran** from my deck to my hand! And now, using **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Veteran** , I set the Pendulum Scale again!" - to his left appeared Gallant, sporting sleek green steel, and to his right Veteran, wearing an even more impressive suit of black and blue armour, wielding a three-in-one weapon.

"Wait, could he be…" - Damien whispered to himself, but never got to finish the sentence as Daniel continued his turn.

"Using these scales, I'll Pendulum Summon **Paladin** and **Templar** back from my extra deck!" - two Igknights, which not long ago occupied the scales, now appeared on the field once more.

"And now, I'll overlay my Level 4 **Igknight Paladin** and **Igknight Templar**! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! **Abyss Dweller**! (WATER/Sea Serpent/Rank 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1400)" - a pitch-black dragon-like creature appeared, with glowing horns and blue glowing spikes all over its body. After a couple of seconds, it opened its bright yellow eyes, which were about twice the size of a human eye, looked over towards Damien's field and quietly growled, before settling on the field.

"I've got you right where I want you, Damien." - Daniel thought.

"Your turn!" - he proclaimed.

 **Turn 2 - Damien (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"You know, this serpent of yours might look scary…" - Damien said, as he drew a card - "…but what is it going to do with its measly 1700 ATK?"

"You'll see, don't worry." - Daniel replied.

"I can't wait." - Damien sarcastically commented - "Well, let's get going. As long as I don't control any Spell or Trap Cards, I can Special Summon any Burning Abyss monster from my hand. Come out, **Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 1300/DEF 700)" - a dark blue demon appeared, wearing almost nothing apart from a cloth around its waist, and two handcuffs, which were once used to restrain the creature, around its arms. Either side of its spike-covered shoulders were two red wings, which had small horns at the top, as if the creature needed to appear any more demonic.

"And next, I Normal Summon **Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - a pig-like fiend appeared, on its back wings smaller in size compared to the other Malebranche, its skin as black as charcoal, but restrained to the ground unlike Libic next to him. It let out a wild, chilling squeal, and pulled its hands upwards until the chain restraining it to the ground broke, and left nothing but a steel cuff on the creature's massive arm.

"Now I'll overlay my Level 3 **Cir** and **Libic**! Abandon everything you love most, and travel through this tumultuous realm, void of all light, where the souls of the wretched are destined to a miserable eternity! Xyz Summon! **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 2500)"

"Almost there." - Daniel thought, seeing Dante appear on Damien's field - "Come on, activate his effect!"

"I activate **Dante** 's effect!" - Damien said, right on cue - "By detaching one Xyz Material, and sending one to three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard, I can make Dante gain 500 ATK for each card sent. I send three cards, which means Dante's ATK goes up by 1500!"

 **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss:** ATK 1000 + 1500 = 2500

"And, not only that, the effects of the monsters sent to the graveyard will…"

"They will do nothing!" - Daniel interrupted his speech - "I activate the effect of **Abyss Dweller**! By detaching one Xyz Material, any card effects that would activate in your graveyard this turn, don't activate!"

"So that's what that snake is for!" - Damien said - "Well, minor inconvenience. After all, **Dante** still has 2500 ATK, so Dweller isn't long for this world."

"He's right, but **Dweller** did what it was supposed to, and that was to delay him for a turn."

" **Dante** , burn the abyss that thing's dwelling in! Attack!" - Damien said, and dramatically pointed his finger towards Abyss Dweller. Dante took out a quill from the leather satchel attached to one of his belts, and slowly opened the palm of his hand, letting the feather float into the air. When it reached the centre of the field, it turned into a bright light, which blinded Daniel for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again, Dweller was gone, and the first thing he saw was a feather slowly descending onto the ground, and Dante picking it back up.

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 800 = 3200

"At the end of the Battle Phase in which **Dante** attacked, he changes to defense position!" - Damien continued, as the man before him kneeled - "I'll set one card, and that'll be that for now. Your turn!"

 **Turn 3 - Daniel (LP - 3200 / Hand - 2 / Field - Pendulum Cards:** Igknight Gallant, Igknight Veteran **)**

" **Abyss Dweller** was just a distraction. Now the duel starts!" - Daniel said - "Draw!"

"I'm glad you're optimistic." - Damien commented - "But that duel of yours that just started might come to an abrupt end pretty soon."

Daniel ignored his remarks, and continued with his turn.

"I activate the effect of **Igknight Gallant** in the Pendulum Scale, and add **Igknight Templar** from my deck to my hand! Then, I'll use it and **Igknight Paladin** to set the Pendulum Scale!"

"I sense a **Photon Strike Bounzer** coming out." - Marco said, as Daniel Pendulum Summoned the two Level 6 Igknights to his field.

"Probably the best monster he could summon right now, yeah." - Jonas added.

"I overlay the Level 6 **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Veteran**! Xyz Summon, grand warrior of light! **Photon Strike Bounzer**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 2000)" - a glowing beast appeared, its arms, shoulders and legs covered in red armour.

"Battle, **Photon Strike Bounzer** , attack **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss**!"

"Not so fast." - Damien said, revealing his face-down card - "I activate **Fiendish Chain**!" - several chains shot out of the card, restraining Strike Bounzer in place and stopping his attack.

" **Fiendish Chain** stops one of your monsters from attacking, and negates its effects."

Daniel set one card in his Spell and Trap Zone, and ended his turn, clearly displeased with how things were going.

 **Turn 4 - Damien (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, **Spells/Traps:** Fiendish Chain **)**

"Draw!" - Damien said.

"Let's see what he does. Sure, **Strike Bounzer** might be useless on the field, but it still has more ATK than **Dante**." - Daniel thought.

"I send **Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** from my hand to the graveyard!" - Damien said, much to the confusion of everyone around him.

"He hasn't activated anything, why is he just randomly discarding a card?" - Marco asked, but received no reply, as Jonas next to him seemed just as puzzled as everyone else.

"Now, I'll use **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss** on my field as Xyz Material!"

"You will what?" - Daniel asked, clearly shocked because of this turn of events.

"Heavenly lady, descend upon this mortal coil and grace us with your undying beauty! Through life and death, guide me towards my final moments! Xyz Evolution! **Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal**! (LIGHT/Fairy/Rank 6/ATK 2500/DEF 2800)" - a white-haired woman appeared on the field, shining brightly. She wore a light purple dress which covered most of her body, aside from her shoulders. She spread her arms, making the two large pieces of cloth hanging off them gently shake, and opened her blue eyes. Two intensely shining orbs circled slowly around her in opposite directions.

"Now, I activate the effect of **Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** in my graveyard!" - Damien said - "I banish **Alich** , **Calcab** and **Cir** from my graveyard, and inflict 300 damage to you for each banished monster!" - the ghost of Barbar appeared on the field. Daniel remembered Barbar vividly, as its effect ultimately lead to Hannah's defeat. He watched on as Barbar swung its massive flail in his direction. This time, the consequences were less dire.

 **Daniel:** LP 3200 - 900 = 2300

"With that, I end my turn."

 **Turn 5 - Daniel (LP - 2300 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Photon Strike Bounzer, **Spells/Traps:** 1 set, **Pendulum Cards:** Igknight Paladin, Igknight Templar **)**

"Well, that was a bit underwhelming." - Marco commented.

"It was, but there's not much he can do right now. **Bounzer** is still stronger than **Beatrice** , which is why he summoned her in defense." - Jonas said, while Daniel drew a card, ready to start his turn, but immediately getting interrupted by Damien.

"Now, I activate the effect of **Beatrice**!" - he said - "I detach **Dante** , and send one card from my deck to the graveyard!"

"Send _any_ card to the graveyard, just like that?" - Daniel said with a hint of surprise in his voice - "Well that's quite the effect."

"It is, and I'll use it to send **Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** to the graveyard!" - Damien continued - "Then, because **Libic** was sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level 3 Fiend monster from my hand, but its effects are negated. Come forth, **Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**! (DARK/Fiend/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 2000)" - a black demon appeared on the field, its eyes entirely covered by a metal mask, below which was a half-open mouth with sharp fangs in it. It had extremely long claws, and various golden garments on its hands and arms. It retracted its wings, which were wide open a moment ago, and kneeled down in defense position.

"Also, when **Dante** is sent to the graveyard, I can return one Burning Abyss card from my graveyard to my hand. And I add back **Barbar**."

Daniel stared at Damien for a few seconds, before remembering the fact that it was his turn.

"Oh right, I should do something." - he said.

"I have to get rid of **Beatrice** so he can't use that effect again. But **Photon** **Strike Bounzer** can't attack, so what do I do?" - he thought, then his mind immediately jumped to what Damien did a few moments ago - "Oh right, the same thing he did."

Daniel dramatically raised his hand in the air.

"You're not the only one that can rank monsters up! I use **Photon Strike Bounzer** as Xyz Material! Charge forward, knight of the wind and tamer of dragons! Xyz Evolution! **Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger**! (WIND/Dragon/Rank 7/ATK 2600/DEF 2100)" - a knight with two green lances appeared, riding on a dragon whose white body was mostly covered up in red armour, with golden highlights, matching that of its rider.

"Not bad, but it still can't get over **Beatrice** 's 2800 DEF!" - Damien said.

"Well, let's set that right then!" - Daniel said - "I activate the Trap Card **Unbreakable Spirit**! With this, the only monster I control gains ATK equal to the ATK of your weakest monster!"

 **Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger:** ATK 2600 + 800 = 3400

"Now, battle! **Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger** , attack **Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal**!" - the dragon darted towards Damien's field, and the knight riding upon it used one of its lances to impale Beatrice, as she turned into a blob of solid light and disappeared off the field.

"And, when **Gaia Dragon** attacks a defense position monster, you take piercing damage!"

 **Damien:** LP 4000 - 600 = 3400

Just as Daniel looked slightly more confident of beating Damien, the latter had to bring his spirits down.

"Now you've done it!" - he said in a voice deeper than usual - "When **Beatrice** is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Burning Abyss monster from my extra deck!"

"Extra deck?" - Daniel's eyes widened - "That's just ridiculous!".

"Come forth, prophet of the end! **Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Ab** **yss**! (LIGHT/Fairy/Level 9/ATK 2800/DEF 2500)" - Dante appeared on the field once more, but looked completely different to what he did previously. His modest red vest was replaced by gleaming white and purple robes. On his chest was a golden piece of armour with several blue gemstones in it, whose sole purpose seemed to be holding up the robes. Dante's whole figure was glowing much in the same way as Beatrice's.

"Now, I'll use the effect of **Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss**! By discarding one Burning Abyss monster from my hand, I can draw one card!" - Damien said, sending a card to the graveyard and adding another to his hand - "The monster I sent to the graveyard was **Barbar** , and now I'll banish **Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss** and two **Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss** from my graveyard, to decrease your life points by a further 900!" - Barbar once again swung his flail in Daniel's direction.

 **Daniel:** LP 2300 - 900 = 1400

"I can't do anything to Damien without having him come back ten times stronger." - Daniel thought - "This is not good."

"He seems worried." - Marco watched Daniel to think his way out of the situation he was in.

"As well he should be. A draw effect and 2800 ATK is nothing to scoff at." - Jonas said.

"I'll set one card and end my turn." - Daniel said, defeated.

"That's it?" - Damien said in a mocking tone - "Well, time for you to get one step closer to defeat then!"

 **Turn 6 - Damien (LP - 3400 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss, Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, **Spells/Traps:** Fiendish Chain **)**

Damien looked at the card he drew, and laughed at the convenience.

"I've got just the thing to seal your fate!" - he said - "I activate **Twin Twisters** , discard a card, and destroy both cards in your Pendulum Zones! With this, your defeat is pretty much certain!"

"Stop with the dramatics, will you." - Daniel said, seemingly calm - "Before you destroy anything, I activate **Pendulum Back** , which allows me to add two monsters from my graveyard to my hand, as long as their Levels fit between my Pendulum Scales!" - two cards appeared in Daniel's hand, as Paladin and Templar disappeared from his scales.

"That was unexpected..." - Damien thought - "It matters not though, as he can now do very little to beat me."

"Battle Phase!" - he said - " **Dante** , attack **Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger**!" - Dante raised its golden staff, which redirected a beam of sunlight towards the knight on Daniel's side of the field, which completely consumed it, causing a large explosion.

 **Daniel:** LP 1400 - 200 = 1200

"And now, **Scarm** , attack directly!" - instead of going over to Daniel's field and slicing him with its giant claws, Scarm opted to fully open its vampiric mouth, and shoot a ray of black fire towards Daniel, knocking him off his feet.

 **Daniel:** LP 1200 - 800 = 400

"This isn't good." - Marco thought.

"I'm not sure what he can do to even beat **Dante** at this point." - Jonas said, as if he heard Marco's thoughts.

"Now what will you do?" - Damien shouted at Daniel, as the latter barely managed to get up on his feet. At this moment, Daniel noticed a very faint glow coming off the top of his deck.


	15. The Phoenix

**Chapter 15 - The Phoenix**

"If these walls could speak, I wonder what they'd be saying right now." - Hannah thought, standing in the middle of the room, where she was being held captive for the last three weeks - "Something like "Hannah, you're slowly losing it", probably." - she said, then jumped up in the air for no reason other than sheer boredom. As she landed, she noticed the top of her deck box popped open on its own.

"Am I actually losing it?" - she asked the empty room, and walked over to the bed to pick up her deck box. Immediately upon doing so, she noticed a faint glow coming off the top card of her deck. She grabbed the card and looked at it in confusion.

* * *

Back at the arena, Daniel had a similar look of confusion on his face, looking at the card he just drew, a card he had only seen once before.

" **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**..." - he thought - "This is the card Hannah played when she was playing against Damien. Why is it here? I didn't have this card before."

"What is he doing?" - Marco asked.

"The better question would be: What can he do?" - Jonas dodged answering Marco's question, because he didn't know the answer anyways - "The one thing he has in his deck that could even barely stand up to **Dante** right now is **First of the Dragons** , and if that card he just drew isn't **Dragon's Mirror** then that's out of the question."

"Could this be what I think it is?" - Damien thought, trying to decipher why Daniel seemed so puzzled at the card he was holding in his hand. After he finally came to his senses, with the audience eagerly looking on, Daniel began his turn.

 **Turn 7 - Daniel (LP - 400 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Using the Scale 2 **Igknight Gallant** and Scale 7 **Igknight Veteran** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - he said.

"Oh, this again?" - Damien asked, almost taunting him - "What will you accomplish with Pendulum Summoning your Igknights now?"

"How about you be quiet and let me continue with my turn?" - Daniel said - "From the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Paladin** and **Igknight Templar**!" - two blade-wielding warriors wearing dark armour appeared in front of him. As soon as they did, the glow of the card in Daniel's hand intensified, as if it was somehow complaining because it hadn't been summoned. Daniel just nodded, as if he acknowledged its plight.

"And what now?" - Damien asked - "What Rank 4 monster could you possibly make that would get you out this situation?"

"Who said it had to be a Rank 4?" - Daniel asked in return - "Normal Summon! **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 0)" - a humanoid dragon appeared, wielding a sword with a golden hilt and covered in brightly shining white armour.

"So he _does_ possess the last Dracoslayer?" - Damien thought - "Well, bring it on then!"

"Now I'll tune my Level 4 **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** with the Level 4 **Igknight Templar**!" - a bright light entirely consumed Luster, as some sort of transformation started.

" Combine! The bond of the Igknights and the might of the Dracoslayers! Channel the strength of your fallen comrades and ascend from the ashes of armageddon! Synchro Summon! **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer**! (FIRE/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2850/DEF 0)" - the light that was completely covering Luster now dispersed, revealing his new form. His wings and tail were now red and purple, as opposed to their previous green hue. All his armour, as well as his mask, turned a striking red colour, with the previously bronze highlights now being the dark grey colour of steel. Finally, his modest sword was replaced with a much larger one, with a gun barrel running down the middle of it. Damien looked at Ignister, partially pleased with finding the last Dracoslayer, and partially in awe of the sight in front of him.

"I use **Ignister** 's effect!" - Daniel wasn't stopping - "By destroying one card in my Pendulum Zone, I can shuffle one of your monsters back into the deck!"

Daniel pointed at the card in the Pendulum Zone to his left.

"I destroy **Igknight Gallant**..." - he said, and Gallant started pointing his gun towards Damien's field - "...and shuffle **Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss** into the extra deck!"

Damien didn't appear at all flustered by the situation he was in, and instead just said:

"Sorry to disappoint, but **Dante** cannot be targeted by card effects."

"Sorry to disappoint, but..." - Daniel repeated Damien's words for effect - "... _Ignister doesn't target!_ "

Damien's expression quickly changed from confidence to a state of utter shock, as Gallant fired in Dante's direction, causing heavy damage to his armour, but also causing himself to explode in the process, showering Daniel in sparks and Damien in scraps of torn off armour.

"Battle Phase! **Igknight Paladin** , attack **Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss**!" - the Igknight charged towards the winged demon, whose attempts at flying away ultimately proved to be unsuccesful, as Paladin managed to catch it mid-escape, and slice its charcoal black body in half.

 **Damien:** LP 3400 - 600 = 2800

Damien's field was left wide open, and Ignister loomed ever larger in his eyes, preparing to deliver the final blow, and very slowly started ascending up into the air.

" **Ignister** , direct attack!" - Daniel shouted with a newfound flair in his voice, and seemed almost out of control. The dragon's ascent finished, and it flew over to Damien. Once Ignister's shadow completely covered Damien's side of the field, he launched himself towards the ground, stabbing its giant sword into the ground right in front of him, which was enough to knock Damien off his feet, and about thirty feet back.

 **Damien:** LP 2800 - 2800 = 0

Daniel fell down on his knees, breathing heavily, and the dust settled. The audience launched into a thundering applause.

 **Final round winner: Daniel Brand**

"Did... did that just happen?" - he thought, and his eyes immediately jumped towards Ignister, still on his duel disk - "What are you? Where did you come from?"

After a few seconds, he managed to stand up, and saw Damien was already darting for the exit opposite him. Daniel made no effort to chase after him, as he didn't quite have the strength in him at the moment, and he knew the award ceremony was about to start any moment now. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, he noticed that both Jonas and Marco weren't in their seats anymore, and were headed for the same exit as Damien.

"Be careful guys." - he whispered, and an International Duel Championship left her VIP seat at the front of the arena, and started approaching him.

* * *

Jonas and Marco were walking down a street leaving Central Neo Ragusa, and the cheers of the crowd were now barely audible. They both kept a close eye on Damien, who seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere, with seemingly no intention of turning around and seeing his followers.

"So, what's the plan?" - Marco asked, even though he knew there was barely any use in doing so.

"The plan is that there is no plan." - Jonas said - "We just follow Damien until he stops somewhere, and I guess hope he doesn't notice us."

"With the way he is right now, I doubt he'd notice a portal to another dimension opening in front of him." - Marco laughed.

"Very funny." - Jonas said sarcastically.

"Well I thought it was." - Marco said - "Anyways, how do we even know that the place he's going to is the place he's keeping Hannah."

"We don't." - Jonas replied - "This is why I didn't like this plan in the first place. But I guess we don't have any other choice right now."

The two had to speed up their walking to have any chance of keeping up with Damien ahead of them. After a few seconds, Damien turned a corner, and Jonas and Marco followed him. They looked around to make sure they hadn't lost sight of him, and realized he crossed the road. In an attempt to appear less conspicuous, they decided to not cross the road for the time being. After ten more minutes of walking in silence, they were well out of Central Neo Ragusa, and headed for downtown. At this point, both their phones vibrated at the exact same time.

"This has to be Daniel." - Jonas said.

"Yeah." - Marco said, being the quicker of the two to get his phone out - "He says he's finally done with the award ceremony. I'll text him our location right now."

"Good, you do that." - Jonas looked at his phone to confirm he had gotten the exact same message. When they both looked up, Damien was out of sight.

"Where the hell has he gone?" - Marco asked, now with a slight panic in his voice, and Jonas started running. He reached an intersection, which wasn't too far ahead of them, and looked both ways, luckily managing to spot Damien. He signalled Marco to hurry up and pointed to the left, where Damien was headed, still seemingly ignorant of the fact that he was being followed. Marco breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that they hadn't completely messed up.

Ahead of them, Damien was deep in his thoughts.

"I guess the good news is that I know where the last Dracoslayer is now, so I can report that. The bad news is that I lost and can't actually get it now." - he sped up even more, aware of the two people following him, as his walking practically turned into running at this point - "Speaking of Dracoslayers, I should go check up on Hannah before I go and report the news to the boss."

Damien resorted to calling the mysterious man from the shadows his boss, since he didn't know his name, or as a matter of fact, anything about him, apart from the fact that he wanted to gather all three Dracoslayers for an unexplained reason. One of their holders is on his way to wherever Damien was headed, the other is currently locked up in a windowless room, and the third disappeared about a month ago.

* * *

Hannah continued to pointlessly pace around her room, which she grew to almost like in the three or so weeks she's been locked up in it. Damien even changed the lightbulb so now it wasn't constantly flickering.

"Damien seems late." - she thought, and again jumped in the air out of boredom, as she did several times in the past twenty minutes - "Not that I'm great at keeping time without a watch or anything, but it seems to me like he should've been there about now."

She laid down on her bed, and it made a slight creak, which echoed through an otherwise silent room.

"Not that I care that much anyways." - she said - "He could be dead for all I care. The only problem is that if that were the case, I'd be dead too. And I don't quite want to die."

She opened her deck box, and noticed Luster had finally stopped glowing. She took out the only card that wasn't in a green sleeve, which was the blue-sleeved Limiter Removal, and stared at it for a minute.

"Whose card is this?" - she thought - "Not that it really matters, but I'd just like to know which poor soul was trapped here before me."

As she finished her thoughts, a loud bang came from the door, breaking the silence and scaring Hannah so much that she dropped Limiter Removal behind the bed. She quickly scrambled around, barely managing to find the card and stuff it back into her deck box, and looked towards the door, just in time for another loud bang to echo through the room.

"Who is this?" - she asked in a whisper, secretly not wanting that question to be answered, knowing that Damien has the key to that door, and that there would be no need to kick it in.

One more kick was enough to open the door, revealing a slim man with long white hair, which together with his pale face contrasted with his entirely black clothes, including a long cape and a pair of black leather gloves.

"Damien lost." - he said in a deep voice, with such speed that he was almost impossible to understand.

"Lost what?" - Hannah asked after finally realizing what he said, as the man walked quickly over to her. He ignored her question, grabbed her by the arm, as she barely managed to grab her deck box, and lead her outside for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Marco and Jonas were still following Damien, and were now almost entirely in downtown Neo Ragusa. They continually updated Daniel on their location, and he was slowly catching up with them. Just as Jonas sent over the latest message, Damien slowed down, and started looking around to make sure there was no one around, which forced Jonas and Marco to momentarily hide behind a house so they wouldn't get spotted. After that brief pause, Damien approached the door of the house Hannah was in, but just as he was about to get out the key, he noticed it was open.

Jonas noticed him entering the building, and unwittingly started leaving cover, closely followed by Marco. They moved towards the door very slowly, so they wouldn't be heard, but their carefulness ultimately proved to be pointless, as Damien stormed out of the room in panic, and the two were now completely visible. They all stared at each other for a few seconds, before Damien spoke up.

"Where is she?" - he asked, unbothered by the fact he was being followed the entire time, and more worried about the fact that another Dracoslayer holder disappeared.

"Wait, you don't know where she is?" - Jonas asked - "We followed you here in the hopes of finding her!"

"Don't just say we were following him." - Marco said under his breath.

"Oh he knows." - Jonas replied.

"No, I have no idea where she is." - Damien said - "She was here when I left for the finals, and now she's not."

"And why would we believe you?" - Jonas asked as his confusion cleared, and he now became more skeptical of the whole situation.

"Go in there!" - he pointed towards the open door - "She's not there!"

"Well you obviously knew we were following you, so how do we know you weren't just misleading us?" - Jonas insisted.

"Who just leaves their door open in broad daylight?" - Damien tried desperately to convince them that he was just as clueless about this situation as they were. At this point, Daniel turned the corner.

"Where is she?" - he asked, noticing all three of them just standing around.

"We don't know." - Jonas replied, then pointed at Damien - "And apparently, neither does he."

"Well he's lying through his teeth." - Daniel said.

"I'm really not." - Damien was getting more and more desperate by the second - "I have no clue where she is!" - he repeated the sentiment for the fourth time.

"Who else would know where she is apart from you?" - Jonas continued his barrage of questions.

"There's really only one person." - Damien said - "And that's my boss."

"Your boss... you mean you're working for someone?" - Marco asked.

"Yeah. What, did you think I just go around kidnapping random girls?"

"Well it did look that way." - Daniel said, as everyone slowly started to believe Damien.

"No, it's not that. I work for this guy..." - Damien started explaining everything, but was interrupted.

"Could you be any more vague? Who is this guy?" - Jonas asked.

"If only I knew." - Damien said - "I rarely see him, and he never told me his name in the three years I've been working for him. The only thing I know is that he seems hell-bent on obtaining all three Dracoslayer cards." - he looked at Daniel, whose eyes widened at the revelation.

"Hannah had one of them, which is why she was being held in that room for the past few weeks." - Damien continued, pointing at the open door - "That's all on his orders, I don't know what he wants to do with them. Then, in today's duel, I found that you were the holder of the last Dracoslayer."

"So if you beat me I would've been locked up in that room with Hannah?" - Daniel asked.

"Presumably so." - Damien answered.

"Wait a minute..." - Jonas barged into the conversation - "You said there were three Dracoslayers?"

Damien nodded in reply.

"So, if one is with Hannah and one is with Daniel, where's the last one?"

"She was in this room until about a month ago. But she disappeared too, though he did say he'd try and find her." - Damien said, referring to the mysterious man he was working with.

"And who was this last Dracoslayer?" - Jonas seemed oddly invested in finding out this information, but Daniel stepped in.

"So your boss, whoever he is, is the only other person that knew she was here?" - he asked.

"Yeah."

"Then take us to him." - Daniel insisted.

The group was standing in front of the building that Damien was just about to enter.

"You stay outside and be quiet." - he told everyone - "I'll go in and ask him about this." - he entered the hallway, which wasn't being lit up by anything apart from natural light, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"Why are we trusting him again?" - Jonas asked in a half-whisper.

"What choice do we have?" - Daniel said - "And at the very least, he seemed genuinely confused about where Hannah was, so my bets are that he doesn't actually know."

Meanwhile in the house, Damien was just about to enter the room where he and the mystery man would always have their meetings. When Damien entered, he was furiously pacing around the room, while Hannah stood terrified in the corner furthest away from him.

"What are you doing?" - Damien asked.

"You lost."

"And…" - Damien waited for the man to elaborate.

"You lost against the last Dracoslayer." - and so he did - "Now, instead of leaving with two, I'll have to settle with one!"

"Leaving? Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business."

"It very much is!" - Damien started getting riled up - "Three years I've been working for you and you haven't told me anything!"

"Let's keep it that way." - the man said, unsuccessfully trying to calm Damien down, but only causing the argument to get more heated.

"You tell me where you're going right now or I'm taking her back to her friends!" - he pointed at Hannah, whose face cheered up at the slightest mention of the possibility that she might be freed.

"That's not how this'll go." - the pale man growled, as he too started getting annoyed by Damien's stubbornness.

"You can't just take her…" - Damien continued, but was interrupted.

"I can do whatever I want!" - the man screamed - "Besides, you're the one who kidnapped her, so don't act all high and mighty."

Outside of the house, Daniel was just about to enter the hallway, wanting to survey the situation, as all three of them could hear the two men arguing even through several walls. Despite Jonas' protests, Daniel sneaked in the house and started going up the stairs, persuading his two friends to follow him. They tiptoed their way up the stairs, trying to not make any noise, even though it probably wouldn't be heard over the sounds of the argument. They took cover behind the door to the room, and listened in on the escalating conversation.

"She's not going anywhere!" - Damien insisted.

"Since when do you have a conscience?" - the man continued to taunt him, then grabbed Hannah by the hand.

"He thinks I can't stop him, but I'll be damned if I don't try." - Damien thought, and charged at the man.

Outside the door, all that could be heard was a loud thump as Damien was thrown back to the wall behind him, barely visible out of the corner of the eye of the three taking cover behind the door.

"You're coming with me!" - the man said, as Hannah looked at him in horror.

"That's not… he's not human." - she thought.

Immediately upon hearing those words, and without thinking, Daniel stormed into the room in an attempt to stop Hannah from being taken away. Now that their position was revealed, Jonas and Marco walked out of cover as well. Upon realizing he was spotted, the man let go of Hannah's hand. He spread his black wings, which were almost as wide as the room itself, then wrapped them around himself, and quickly disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving everyone in the room temporarily confused. Hannah's face immediately cheered up when she realized she was freed, but just as Daniel was about to say something, a loud bang was heard, and the room started shaking.

After about ten seconds of what seemed to be an earthquake, the shaking stopped. Completely unfazed by the situation, Daniel walked over to Hannah and hugged her, much to her surprise, before the moment was interrupted by Jonas. He was standing next to one of the two windows of the room, and stared at what was around them.

"We might have a problem." - he said, pointing out the obvious. Everyone in the room walked over to one of the windows, apart from Damien, who was still knocked out from being thrown at the wall earlier. They all looked through the window in shock. What surrounded them was a few houses, completely abandoned, in the middle of an empty grey wasteland, void of any life.


	16. Broken Mirrors

**Chapter 16 - Broken Mirrors**

"Okay, to sum up: There was an earthquake and now we're in a completely different world." - Hannah said, but received no reply as everyone was still recovering from the initial shock. The only person that wasn't in the room at the moment was Jonas, who rushed down the stairs and through the front door to convince himself they weren't in the city they knew. He looked at the towering skyscrapers in the distance, which weren't too dissimilar from those in Neo Ragusa, but looked completely abandoned. In his vicinity was sparse housing, and a few warehouses, typical of the edge parts of the city, and they too were abandoned and surrounded by colourless wasteland. The rest of the group also exited the building moments after him, barring Damien who was still knocked out from his earlier clash with the mysterious man.

"So, where are we?" - Marco asked.

"More importantly, how screwed are we?" - a voice came from down the hallway

"Not as much as you might think." - Jonas said.

"What makes you think that?"

"That, I'd presume." - Hannah said, pointing at the direction Jonas was looking at. On the horizon was a small group of people, barely visible through the rows of buildings, heading towards the city.

* * *

"Francis, you're lagging behind!" - Sara said, noticing that there wasn't anyone walking next to her.

"You've got to see this." - Francis replied.

"Do I?"

"Yeah, it's kind of important."

"Somehow I doubt that." - despite her hesitation, Sara turned around. At first she didn't see anything but Francis delaying their advancement into the city, but then he pointed at his discovery.

"Hey, you two, this probably _is_ important." - Sara said, causing Ella and Niall to stop walking, then quickly turn around. All four of them were now looking at a group of four people that was slowly headed towards them.

"We should take a detour." - she continued.

"No." - Ella dashed her hopes quickly.

"Why not?" - Niall asked.

"Ian's quite clearly not with them, and I'm not stopping this search."

"But... there's people!" - Sara insisted, but Ella just shook her head and pressed on towards the city - "I get it, you want to keep searching for your brother..."

"Of course I do!" - Ella interrupted her.

"And that's fine. But I want to find out who these people are. So, Francis..." - she pointed - "You stay with them so you guys can find your way back and I'll go talk to these people."

"Do I have to?" - Francis groaned.

"Yes." - Sara swiftly stopped his protest, and after all of them looked at the group coming towards them once more, she split off from the rest and left them to their search. After a few minutes of walking, she looked at the city behind her, and reminisced about the year she spent in Neo Ragusa, albeit a slightly less abandoned version of it than the one she was looking at right now. She was awoken from her daydream by the sound of someone shouting her name.

"Who the hell is that?" - she asked herself, then squinted her eyes to discover that the four people approaching her were people that she very much knew. Immediately after realizing this, her heart skipped a beat, and she started walking towards them quicker.

"What are you doing here?" - Sara and Jonas asked at almost identical times, repeated the question, then went quiet.

"Why are you here?" - Sara managed to blurt out the question quickly so that nobody would interrupt her.

"We don't know." - Hannah said.

"How do you not know?"

"There was a bit of an earthquake, a bright light and now we're here." - a voice came from the floor, leaving Sara confused for a moment, before Marco got done tying his shoes and got up.

"So you got teleported here." - Sara said - "Well, that much was obvious. Who did it?"

"That we also don't know." - Jonas provided an answer which didn't turn out to be particularly helpful - "There was a fight between Damien..."

"The guy that kidnapped me. Thanks for the non-warning by the way." - Hannah briefly interrupted Jonas.

"Anyways, there was a fight between Damien and this other guy that we've never seen before, but as soon as we came into the room he disappeared. I guess he was afraid of being found out or something." - Jonas continued after that brief interruption.

Sara couldn't garner much information from what was being said, but kept on listening.

"And then about a minute after he disappeared, the whole house started shaking, and once we recovered from that, we were here. And that's it."

"The person that teleported away is the same person that brought you here, I would presume. Not many people have that kind of technology." - Sara said

"He had wings, by the way." - Hannah added after a brief silence.

"Huh, who did?" - Sara asked, almost as if she zoned out for a second.

"The guy that teleported away. He had wings."

"Oh, right." - Sara said, but decided to not follow that up in any way, despite knowing who they were talking about, so as to not confuse the situation even further.

"Anyways, I think you owe us an explanation now." - Daniel said after being quiet for the entirety of the conversation so far - "Why are _you_ here?"

"I live here." - she replied, in turn confusing everyone around her, before she elaborated further - "You only happen to know me because I've spent most of the past year in your dimension trying to track down the exact person that brought you here."

"Who is he, anyway?" - Hannah asked, being the first of a few people to interrupt Sara's speech.

"His name is Vector. He's the reason this world looks like it does right now."

"Why is that?"

"Well if you'd just let me finish..." - Sara said, then looked at her four listeners, who now calmed down and waited for her to continue.

"The first person got infected three years ago to the day. As the days went on, the virus continued spreading. Two people, ten people, a hundred. And before you know it, entire cities are dying, and we have no clue what's happening. A vaccine was being developed, but most of the researchers working on it died." - Sara was interrupted by her own thoughts this time, and signalled the listeners to follow her - "Come on, I'll take you to our base before we figure out what the next step is." - she said, then shortly after continued with the story.

"After about a year, when there were only a handful of people left alive in the city, Vector showed up. He was innocuous at first, but slowly people started disappearing. Initially we assumed that they were just dying off, even though the virus had mostly stopped spreading at this point. After a few weeks, we realized Vector was taking them when Francis saw his sister being taken away."

"Francis?" - a voice asked from behind her.

"Yeah, one of the few friends I have left. He's off in Neo Ragusa right now, helping two people we ran into today find someone." - she purposefully left Ella and Niall's names out so she wouldn't have to do any more explaining.

"So who was behind the virus?" - Marco asked.

"We never found out. That wasn't particularly important at the end of the day, since most people were too busy fighting for their survival to think about that. Some people did have theories that it was Vector who did it, but there's no concrete proof of that. Ever since then, we've just been surviving however we can, trying to avoid Vector's servants who haunt us like vultures whenever they discover any sign of life like some vermin."

Sara finished the story, and nobody had anything to add to that, so the trip continued in complete silence.

* * *

"Sorry about earlier, by the way." - Ella told Franics.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the whole misunderstanding that happened earlier."

"Ah, that. Don't worry, it's no big deal."

"But it's like... you were there to help, and I just ignored that, and we just ended up wasting time."

"As I said, it's no problem." - Francis decided to not remind Ella that he wasn't too willing to go on this quest in the first place, so as to not ruin the moment - "You never know who you might stumble into in these wastelands."

"Does it ever just hit you?" - Niall said after half a minute of interrupted silence, and both other people with him looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to expand on that thought.

"I mean, this city used to have millions of people in it!" - he continued, as the buildings around them started becoming less wide and more tall - "And now it's just us. Doesn't the ridiculousness of this whole situation just hit you sometimes?"

"It's been three years now, I've sort of grown numb to all of this." - Francis replied.

"I know, that's what I usually think too. But sometimes all of these realizations come back. I don't know if it's because I'm in a city or not, but just seeing all these abandoned buildings makes me realize how empty everything is." - Niall said, then turned on a heel to face the two behind him, and walked backwards for a short while. Ella and Francis weren't particularly talkative, so Niall just turned around and stopped talking, realizing his words were going in one ear and out the other.

The search continued in silence. They were now deep within the ruins of Neo Ragusa, almost entering the center. The neverending cloud cover disappeared for just a brief moment, allowing the group to get a glimpse of the setting sun. The skies became overcast soon after, and the beautiful orange glow of a sunset was once again replaced by dreary grey clouds. And the city got darker.

"Turn left." - Niall said to Ella who wound up overtaking him at some point of their excursion through the city, stopping her from following the street straight on - "We should be about ten minutes away from the location now."

Ella once again became full of hope, as she made a sharp left turn off the wide main street and into one of the smaller streets on the side. Her hopes were quickly dashed by Francis, who said something that curiously didn't cross anyone's mind up until that point.

"Have you guys even considered that you might be walking into a trap?"

Ella was almost blinded by the wish to find her brother and completely blanked his comment. As she pressed on, Niall acknowledged what Francis was saying.

"Why do you think it is a trap?" - he asked.

"I'm not saying it's definitely a trap." - Francis replied - "It's just that you have every reason to be on the lookout. Besides, isn't the duel disk you're tracking from one of the Fiends?"

"Yeah, it is." - Niall said, then changed his tone of voice to a whisper, so Ella couldn't overhear his next words - "I don't think we'll find anything there though. The tracker doesn't update fast enough to keep track of movements accurately, and this dot's been pretty static for a good while."

"If the duel disk hasn't moved at all, doesn't that mean that someone is waiting for you there?" - Francis asked.

"It might also mean that they've just abandoned one of their duel disks, which is also entirely possible. At the end of the day, even if it is just one Fiend, we can take care of him nice and quickly."

"I guess." - Niall's words somewhat convinced Francis that they weren't being lead into a trap, but still decided to remain cautious. The next five minutes went on in relative silence, as nobody has anything to add until they stopped in the middle of a crossroad, at pretty much the exact same spot the tracker was leading them to.

"Ian!?" - Ella shouted in the hopes of receiving a reply, but her voice echoed off the buildings before shooting up in the sky, and she wasn't any closer to having her brother back.

"I told you we wouldn't find anything." - Niall said, but was tapped on the shoulder by Francis before he could go out and help Ella with the search. When Niall turned around to see what Francis found so urgent, he saw two people who looked decidedly strange, walking down the street right behind them. They were extremely pale, even more pale than Ella, and looked as if their skin couldn't absorb sunlight at all, and they were entirely dressed in black. Without saying a word, Niall rushed over to Ella.

"Be quiet!" - he whispered - "The Fiends are here." - he told her, then looked over at Francis who rushed for cover. Instead of obliging, and trying her best to remain hidden, Ella instead walked out into the middle of the road, much to Niall's desperation, and looked at the men walking over towards them.

"Where's my god damn brother!?" - she shouted at them, completely tossing aside any conceptions of hiding that Francis and Niall might have had, as they too now exited out onto the street. They waited a minute for the reply as the men slowly approached them, clearly in no mood for a shouting contest, but just as Ella was about to repeat the question, one of the men spoke up.

"He's fine!" - he said, now within a short enough distance to warrant not yelling - "You, on the other hand, might not be." - he pointed at Ella.

"Says who?" - she asked.

"We do." - the two men said almost in tandem, as they both prepared their duel disks.

"Hey, a two on one is not fair at all!" - Niall said, as he was about to step in, only to be cut off by one of the men.

"You're not needed!" - he said, and Niall stumbled back a few steps in surprise at the intensity with which the man said it.

"Let me handle this." - Ella said, and turned to Niall, who gave up on the idea of a tag duel when he saw how confident of victory she looked, despite his best intentions of helping her.

"I'll take on ten of the bastards if I need to." - she readied her duel disk.

"Duel!" - all three of them exclaimed.

* * *

"We're almost at the house." - Sara said after tens of minutes of silence, as Neo Ragusa was now barely in sight - "We should be about five minutes away now."

"Why is it all the way out here?" - Jonas asked.

"It's Francis' house, his parents lived outside of the city. Besides, we didn't want to attract attention in the city, and I couldn't stay there anyways because..." - her voice cracked before she could finish that sentence.

"Because of what?" - Hannah asked in a half whisper.

"My mom jumped off the balcony after she got infected." - she said after regaining some sort of composure - "My dad was already dead at that point, so I just left the apartment and never went back to it."

Sara took a deep breath, and nobody around her had the heart to say anything.

"And you know, I'm glad you guys came along." - she said after a few moments of stunned silence - "It gave me an excuse to not go into the city."

"You mean you haven't even gone to the city since then?" - Daniel asked.

"I haven't, no. I came to Francis after that happened. We were friends for several years before the outbreak, and both his parents had died recently as well, so it was nice to just have someone you could talk to. We wallowed in our own sorrows for a week, then went back to the world of the living."

Nobody had anything to say, so they just continued walking without saying anything for the next two minutes, before arriving at their destination.

"We're here." - Sara said, opening the door to the house.

"You don't lock the doors?" - Hannah asked.

"We've given up on doing that a long time ago." - Sara replied - "It just takes us more time to get into the house, and if someone wants to break in, they'll do it regardless of whether the door is locked or not."

The group of five entered the hallway, which seemed entirely too small for all of them, before coming into the much larger living room. Orange light shone through the window upon a couple of tattered couches, as the sunset just barely managed to crack through the clouds for a few seconds before the light disappeared, once again colouring the room a depressing shade of grey.

"You guys stay here for a moment, I have to go check on a few things." - Sara said, and started climbing up the stairs. She quickly checked in on their guest, only to find out she was still sleeping, then went to her room to change clothes, as well as to check if everything was in order.

"Has the realization that we're in a different world set in for you guys?" - Marco asked.

"Yeah, kind of." - Hannah answered - "Might have something to do with the fact that Sara is here. It helps to have a familiar face around."

"I guess." - Marco said, then looked out of the window, noticing two figures walking towards the house - "Hey, there's someone coming." - he pointed at the window.

"Sara did mention she was with a few more people, that might be them." - Jonas said, clearly not worried, but Daniel wasn't quite as convinced.

"Hey Sara, you said you were with some people before you came over to us, right?" - he shouted in hopes that Sara would hear him. That she did, and she came out of her room a few moments after, as she finished changing her clothes.

"Yeah, why?"

Daniel decided to not reply, and instead asked another question.

"How many people were you with?"

"Three. But you still haven't told me why you're asking." - Sara headed down the stairs, and Daniel pointed through the window. Sara entered a state of panic, as two silhouettes rapidly approached the house.

"That's not them, that's the Fiends. They're Vector's servants, but I'm not sure what they're here for." - she blurted out - "They duel you, and if you lose, you're done for."

"Well we'll just duel them then!" - Hannah said, clearly not worried about the whole situation as Sara was - "There's only two of them."

"Let me do it." - a voice came from the top of the stairs, and everyone in the room looked at the half-awake girl that said the words. She had light blue hair, her eyes were a matching colour, and the clothes she wore were fairly basic, much to be expected from someone in her situation. Most people in the room were confused at her sudden appearance, as if a ghost came from the room at the end of the hallway, but only Jonas reacted differently.

"Carla?" - he said, in a state of utter shock.


	17. The Storm

**Chapter 17 - The Storm**

"Ella, just be careful!" - Niall said, as one of the Fiends was about to begin his turn - "Vector might have given them some information about your deck, so you might be at a disadvantage here!"

Ella looked back at Niall and nodded, acknowledging his message, and the duel began.

 **Turn 1 - Fiend 023 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"To start off, I'll summon **Satellarknight Vega**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1200/DEF 1600)" - the taller of the two men said, and in front of him appeared a woman, almost entirely covered in a light pink dress, with white armour on her chest propping the dress up - "Next, when **Vega** is summoned, I can Special Summon another Satellarknight from my hand! Come forth, **Satellarknight Alsahm**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 1800)" - another warrior appeared, wearing tight dark green clothes, and armour similar to Vega's, mostly white and golden in colour, although it covered more of its body. He held a golden bow in his left hand, ready to fire an arrow.

"When **Satellarknight Alsahm** is summoned, I can inflict 1000 damage to the opponent." - he said, and pointed at Ella, in whose direction Alsahm promptly fired the arrow he was readying.

 **Ella:** LP 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"Finally, I'll set one card, and end my turn." - a card appeared laying face-down vertically in front of him.

 **Turn 2 - Fiend 064 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Draw!" - the man to the right of the last one said, and wasted no time starting his turn.

"I activate **Emergency Teleport** , allowing me to Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Psychic monster from my hand or deck! Summon, **Risebell the Star Adjuster**! (WIND/Psychic/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 800)" - a red-eyed person appeared, with pitch-black hair matching his clothes, and contrasting his pale white face - "When **Risebell** is Special Summoned, I can increase the Level of one monster on the field by up to three!"

 **Risebell the Star Adjuster:** Level 3 + 3 = 6

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **Mental Seeker**! (EARTH/Psychic/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 600)" - a small childlike person appeared, wearing tight black clothes, and blue armour over his chest and arms, as well as blue boots and a visor over his eyes.

"Now, I'll tune my Level 3 **Mental Seeker** with my Level 6 **Risebell the Star Adjuster**! Synchro Summon, Level 9! **Hyper Psychic Blaster**! (EARTH/Psychic/Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 2500)" - a humanoid creature appeared, its white armour highlighted by neon blue lines. At first it appeared to be some sort of robot, but upon further inspection turned out to be a human, covered in gear to the point of unrecognizability, holding a gun in each of his hands - a black, blocky one in the right, and a sleek white one in the left.

"Next, I'll activate **Future Glow**!" - as soon as the card was activated, a faint glow appeared around Hyper Psychic Blaster - "I banish **Mental Seeker** from my graveyard, then all my Psychic-Type monsters gain ATK equal to its Level times two hundred!"

 **Hyper Psychic Blaster:** ATK 3000 + (200 x 3) = 3600

"Luckily for you, only the last player can actually declare an attack, so you're safe for now." - he said, about to finish his turn - "So now I'll just set one card, and end my turn!"

"If she does what I think she'll do, then this shouldn't take too long." - the man thought, as Ella began her turn.

 **Turn 3 - Ella (LP - 3000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Two against one, and one of them already has a 3600 ATK monster." - she drew a card - "No problem! Now, where to start?"

"That confidence of yours might cost you!" - one of the men said.

"Yeah, stop with the clichés and let me play, will you?" - Ella interrupted him - "Using the Scale 1 **Metalfoes Silverd** and Scale 8 **Metalfoes Volflame** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - the two scales appeared either side of her - "Next, I'll use **Silverd** 's effect!"

The two Fiends looked at each other and subtly nodded, as if they knew what was coming next, only to be left surprised.

"I destroy **Metalfoes Volflame** , and set **Metalfoes Counter** from my deck!" - Counter revealed itself for a brief few seconds, before setting itself onto the field in front of Ella - "Now, I place another **Metalfoes Volflame** in the Pendulum Scale, to set it once more! Next, I'll Pendulum Summon! Come back from the extra deck, **Metalfoes Volflame** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 7/ATK 2400/DEF 2000), and from the hand **Metalfoes Goldriver**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 500)" - the two monsters appeared in front of her, one riding a gleaming golden buggy, while the other was piloting a tank-sized vehicle, coloured in vibrant orange.

"Now I'll activate **Metalfoes Fusion** from the hand!" - she continued, but her plays were finally interrupted by the shorter Fiend on the left, who was just waiting for his opportunity to strike.

"Chain! I activate **Cosmic Cyclone**!" - Ella looked at him in confusion, since she wasn't expecting the interruption - "I pay a thousand life points, and banish one of your Spell or Trap Cards. And I'll banish that." - he said, pointing at the active Metalfoes Fusion.

 **Fiend 064:** LP 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"Of course, you still get the effect, but now you can't recycle it!" - he finished.

"I knew they had something up their sleeve to stop her usual strategy." - Niall thought, but Ella was unfazed, and continued with her plan.

"I fuse **Metalfoes Goldriver** and **Metalfoes Volflame**! Merge, man and machine! Descend from dizzying heights and destroy this desolate world and all that dares dwell in it! Fusion Summon! **Metalfoes Orichalc**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200)" - Goldriver's buggy turned itself into parts, while its rider rose up into the air. Slowly, parts of the bike started reassembling around him, completing a layer of golden armour.

"Now, **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack **Satellarknight Vega**!" - Orichalc charged the knight, swung both of its flaming axes in her direction, and Vega wasn't long for this world.

 **Fiend 023:** LP 4000 - 1600 = 2400

"I'll set one card!" - Ella ended her turn.

"Not bad, she got some damage in, but **Metalfoes Fusion** is disabled now. What can she even do?" - Francis asked in a whisper, so that nobody bar Niall would hear him, but received no answer.

 **Turn 4 - Fiend 023 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Satellarknight Alsahm, **Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"Let's go!" - the Fiend said with a certain flair in his voice, as he drew a card, almost sure of victory.

"I activate my set card - **Stellarnova Wave**! This allows me to, once per turn, Special Summon a Tellarknight monster from my hand! Come forth, **Satellarknight Sirius**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 900)" - the knight that appeared was similar to Alsahm, except with greyish-blue clothes instead of green, and slightly more of a golden sheen to its armour.

"Next, I Normal Summon **Satellarknight Procyon**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1300/DEF 1200)" - the warrior that appeared was smaller than the two others on the field, and wore mostly white clothes with flashes of orange here and there - "Since **Procyon** was summoned, I discard **Satellarknight Capella** from my hand, and draw one card! But that's not important right now!"

"I have a bad feeling about this." - Ella muttered.

"And so you should." - the Fiend replied in a growling half-whisper, somehow managing to hear her comment - "I overlay my three Level 4 monsters - **Satellarknights Alsahm** , **Sirius** and **Procyon**! Unify the constellations under one name and descend, master of the stars! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! **Stellarknight Delteros**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2100)" - a shining knight appeared, wearing blue and white armour over light pink clothes. In his right hand was a sharp steel blade, surrounded by two symmetrical helixes that decreased in size as the blade grew sharper and thinner, and his left hand held a glowing triangular shield.

"I activate the effect of **Stellarknight Delteros**! By detaching one Xyz Material, I can destroy one card on the field!" - the man continued, and pointed at Metalfoes Orichalc - "Time to end this." - Delteros pointed its shield at Orichalc, and each point of the triangle lit up, followed by the shield which shot out a large beam towards Ella's field. The beam was strong enough to completely destroy Orichalc, but not before he reflected it back towards Delteros in his dying moments, causing mutual destruction.

"What... what just happened?" - the man asked.

"I thought you guys were supposed to know my strategy." - Ella laughed - "When **Orichalc** is sent to the graveyard, it can take down one card with it. But, that's not all I have up my sleeve!" - she pointed at one of the set cards on her field, which now revealed itself - "I activate **Metalfoes Counter**! Since one of my cards was destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon one Metalfoes monster from my deck!"

Metalfoes Volflame and his giant orange tank appeared once more, but the fiend across the field wasn't quite done with his turn.

"Hey, I can float too!" - he said - "When **Delteros** is destroyed, I can Special Summon one Tellarknight monster from the deck! Rise, **Satellarknight Altair**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300)" - another Satellarknight appeared, wearing similar armour to most of his comrades over dark blue clothes, with bright blue glowing wings on his back, which served no purpose other than to be aesthetically pleasing.

"When **Altair** is summoned, I can Special Summon a Tellarknight from my graveyard! So come back, **Satellarknight Alsahm**!" - he continued, as the green warrior rematerialized on the field - "And don't forget, **Alsahm** deals damage to you when he's summoned!"

 **Ella:** LP 3000 - 1000 = 2000

"Now, I'll overlay my Level 4 **Satellarknight Altair** and **Satellarknight Alsahm**! Rise, faithful servant of the stars! Xyz Summon, **Starliege Paladynamo**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 1000)" - a warrior appeared, almost resembling a machine thanks to his sleek white armour with many sharp edges to it, and he wielded a blade made out of solid light.

"By detaching two Xyz Materials from **Paladynamo** , I can reduce the ATK of one monster you control to zero!" - Paladynamo raised its sword into the air, and the two white glowing orbs circling around him were absorbed into it, as a bright beam of light shot towards Volflame.

 **Metalfoes Volflame:** ATK 2400 - 2400 = 0

"Unfortunately, during the turn I use **Altair** 's effect, only Tellarknight monsters may attack." - the Fiend was finally about to end his turn - "But I'm sure my teammate's **Hyper Psychic Blaster** will be enough to take care of you!"

"They might just be right." - Francis whispered, continuing to observe the duel - "She only has one monster on the field, and it has 0 ATK, meanwhile **Hyper Psychic Blaster** is standing tall at 3600."

"Don't lose hope just yet." - Niall replied, noticing a faint smile on Ella's face - "She still has that set card."

* * *

Carla rushed down the stairs towards Jonas with enough speed to nearly topple him to the floor, and hugged him tightly, as grew overwhelmed by all the events that happened in the last couple of hours.

"You two know each other?" - Sara asked, even though the answer was already apparent.

"Yeah, she um... we do." - Jonas barely managed to stutter a few words.

"As much as this is a nice moment, we have two people walking towards us, and I doubt they're up to any good." - Sara said, as Jonas somehow managed to break free from Carla's grasp, and almost comically waddled over to the only couch in the room to lie down and try to comprehend everything that happened. Sara quickly walked over to the closet beneath the stairs, and grabbed a bright blue duel disk from it, which she handed over to Carla immediately.

"You said you wanted to have a go at dueling them?" - Sara asked, receiving a nod in reply - "Well, have a go then."

Carla headed out, as the two Fiends were almost at their front porch, but was interrupted by Hannah.

"Wait, there's two of them?" - she said.

"Yeah, and?" - Carla asked - "Do you think I can't take two of them on?"

"No, not that at all. But, it's probably still better if it's two versus two."

"Fine, come on then." - Carla said, and opened the front door. Hannah immediately cheered up at the thought of dueling after a month's wait, and followed her out. After stepping out of the house, and looking at the two men approaching them, she opened her deck box, and noticed a blue-sleeved card sitting in it, among all the green ones. Next to her, Carla just placed her deck in its slot, but her attempts were rejected.

"Why is it not accepting the deck?" - she asked in confusion, then looked at the screen on the central unit - "Insufficient number of cards."

"Hey!" - Hannah tried to grab her attention, after a few things clicked together in her head - "I presume this is yours?" - she asked, revealing the Limiter Removal in her hand.

"Where did you…"

"In the room you were being kept in. You must've dropped it." - Hannah answered the question before Carla could even ask it, as if in a hurry to get the duel started. The two Fiends were now standing opposite them, and all four of them readied their duel disks, and the tag duel started.

 **Turn 1 - Fiend 034 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll start us off!" - the pale man said - "Normal Summon, **Geargiattacker**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 100)" - an oversized toy plane appeared, covered in bright yellow and red paint, being piloted by a small machine made up of gears.

"Next, because I control a Geargia monster, I can Special Summon **Geargiaccelerator** (EARTH/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 800) from my hand!" - a toy racing car appeared, painted in blue, yellow and white, and being driven by the same pile of gears that was piloting Geargiattacker.

"Now, I'll overlay the Level 4 **Geargiattacker** and **Geargiaccelerator**! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! **Gear Gigant X**! (EARTH/Machine/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500)" - a robot appeared, composed of red and green gears, all of which looked decidedly plastic, and blue metallic plates covering its head, chest and arms. Two red glowing orbs circled around it.

"I use **Gear Gigant X** 's effect! By detaching one Xyz Material, I can add one Level 4 or lower Machine monster from my deck to my hand!" - he said, and his hand size increased from three to four - "I add **Geargiano Mk-II** , then set one card and end my turn."

 **Turn 2 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Nice of you to make it quick so we don't have to wait around too much." - Carla commented, as her tag partner drew a card, about to begin her turn.

"So, what's the best thing to do here?" - Hannah asked herself, and looked at her hand - "Since nobody except the last person can attack in a tag duel, it's probably best if I set up the field for her turn." - she looked over at Carla.

"I just hope she knows what he's doing, or I might need a backup plan." - she nodded her head, considering what she should do, and finally decided on helping out her tag partner by leaving the field as empty as possible.

"Let's go then! Using the Scale 2 **Majespecter Cat - Nekomata** and Scale 5 **Majespecter Toad - Ogama** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - a turquoise cat appeared to her left, and a green toad on the right, both wearing a burgundy cape.

"Then, I'll Pendulum Summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000) and **Majespecter Crow - Yata**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)" - her field was now graced by the presence of an orange fox with a tornado tail, and a dark purple crow.

"When **Yata** is summoned, I can search a Majespecter Spell Card, and when **Kyubi** is summoned, a Majespecter Trap Card!" - she continued, and added two cards from her deck to her hand, that being Majespecter Storm and Majespecter Tempest.

"Next, I tribute **Majespecter Crow - Yata** , and activate **Majespecter Storm**!" - she said, and Yata disappeared off the field, as a wind blew towards Gear Gigant X, slowly intensifying until the robot was reduced to a pile of gears.

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn!"

"Their field is pretty much empty, and I've got **Tempest** just waiting to go off, now all I need is that she doesn't mess up." - she looked at Carla, who looked relaxed, unbothered by the situation.

 **Turn 3 - Fiend 096 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

Another person that seemed unfazed by the duel, and as confident of victory as his opponents, was Fiend number 96, who just calmly went on with his turn.

"I Normal Summon **Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi"**! (EARTH/Machine/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 1900)" - he said, and in front of him appeared a three-eyed robot wearing a green kimono with purple gears drawn on it, which were supposed to resemble flowers.

"Good thing I did get rid of **Gear Gigant X** I guess…" - Hannah thought - "…since this guy seems to be playing Machines too."

"Next, I Normal Summon **Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 "Nisamu"**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 200)" - a one-eyed mechanical puppet appeared, made entirely of wood, carrying a bamboo stick in its arms and a barrel on its back.

"You can't just Normal Summon twice per turn!" - a voice came from the front door of the house, belonging to Jonas, who finally managed to compose himself enough to watch the duel.

"Usually I can't, no." - the Fiend initially agreed with him - "But **Komachi** 's effect allows me to Normal Summon an additional Karakuri monster per turn. And now I'll tune my Level 3 **Karakuri Komachi** with the Level 4 **Karakuri Soldier**! Synchro Summon, Level 7! **Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei"**! (EARTH/Machine/Level 7/ATK 2600/DEF 1900)" - the Shogun that appeared was a mechanical puppet made of wood, much like its two materials, and wore a red cape. It had four beady blue eyes, and atop his head was a helmet with two horns sticking out of the side, and a gear in the middle. Unfortunately for the Fiend, the Karakuri didn't last long, as Hannah interrupted the turn.

"I activate **Majespecter Tempest**!" - she said, as she tributed Majespecter Fox - "Your monster's summon is negated, and it's destroyed." - a strong wind blew towards Karakuri Shogun, causing it to fall apart much like Gear Gigant X not much earlier.

"There we go, clear field. Now all she needs to do is win, basically." - Hannah thought. Her opponent set 2 cards, and quietly ended his turn.

 **Turn 4 - Carla (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

Carla noticed that Hannah was basically clearing the field for her as soon as she activated Majespecter Storm, and realized the duel needed to be over on this turn. She drew a card, which was Limiter Removal, and started her turn.

"I activate Hannah's set **Mystical Space Typhoon**!" - she said - "And destroy **Majespecter Toad - Ogama**!" - she continued, much to the surprise of almost everyone involved.

"Now, from my hand I use the Scale 6 **Dinomist Brachion** to set the Pendulum Scale once more!" - next to the turquoise cat appeared a purple mechanical dinosaur, sitting on top of a tank, armed with several weapons with which to take out the opponent.

"From my hand, I Pendulum Summon **Dinomist Ankylos** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2000) and **Dinomist Spinos** (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800)" - two robotic dinosaurs appeared. The smaller one was entirely blue, with a metal shell on its back covered in glowing spikes. The other dinosaur had a long snake-like crimson body with a spike-covered crest extending out of its back.

"Next, I activate **Dinomic Powerload** , which boosts all Dinomist monsters on the field by 300 ATK and DEF." - she placed the card in her Field Zone, and all of their surroundings started changing colour from dark grey to blue.

 **Dinomist Ankylos:** ATK 1500 + 300 = 1800

 **Dinomist Spinos:** ATK 2500 + 300 = 2800

"And for the final card in my hand: I activate **Limiter Removal**! Since you guys use Machines, I'm sure you're well aware of what this card does."

 **Dinomist Ankylos:** ATK 1800 x 2 = 3600

 **Dinomist Spinos:** ATK 2800 x 2 = 5600

"Finally, by tributing **Dinomist Ankylos** , I can grant **Spinos** the ability to attack twice this turn!"

Her opponents seemingly weren't worried about how everything was unfolding.

"Battle! **Dinomist Spinos** , attack number one!" - the machine started charging towards the empty field of the Fiend opposite Carla, who had something to say in response to the attack.

"I activate **Drowning** …" - he blurted out, but never got to finish the sentence.

"You activate nothing!" - Carla interrupted him, as Spinos continued its charge - "While **Dinomic Powerload** is on the field, you cannot activate anything in response to my attacks!"

The mood on the opposing side of the field suddenly changed when they found out what the Field Spell truly does.

 **Fiend 096:** LP 4000 - 4000 = 0

"And finally, attack number two!" - Carla pointed diagonally at the only Fiend left in the duel, and Spinos charged at him as well, smacking him with its tail.

 **Fiend 034:** LP 4000 - 4000 = 0

The second Fiend fell to the floor, and Carla jumped in the air, then rushed over to Hannah and hugged her.

"Well you seem to be in a good mood." - Hannah commented, surprised at that sudden outburst of affection.

"Yeah, we won!"

"I noticed."

Sara tried to rush over to the Fiends, hoping to get any information at all, but one of them whispered something into a device on his duel disk, and they both teleported away. Disappointed, but not at all surprised at them slipping away once more, she headed back for the house.

"You two have a few things to explain." - she pointed at Jonas and Carla - "Get back in."

Sara closed the front door, and turned on the lights in the living room, as darkness overtook the wasteland.


	18. Evenfall

**Chapter 18 - Evenfall**

 **Turn 5 - Fiend 064 (LP - 3000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Hyper Psychic Blaster, **Spells/Traps:** Future Glow **)**

" **Hyper Psychic Blaster** on 3600 ATK, and **Volflame** on zero. I think we all know what's going to happen next." - the Fiend said, certain of his victory.

"Yeah, I know what'll happen." - Ella replied, displeased with his arrogance - "First, you'll lose that big beater of yours. And then, you both lose."

"I'd love to see how you manage that." - the other Fiend taunted her - "Your only monster has 0 ATK and you have no cards in your hand even if you get past this turn."

"Let's fix that then. I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Counter** in my graveyard, I banish it, and add **Metalfoes Goldriver** from my extra deck to my hand. Now, you can continue with your turn."

"And what's the point of that? If it's not an **Honest** for FIRE monsters it may as well not be in your hand right now." - Fiend 064 continued, still very sure of his victory, despite Ella's earlier words - "Battle Phase! **Hyper Psychic Blaster** , end this!" - he pointed at Ella's field, and she didn't look the slightest bit concerned about the incoming attack.

"I send **Metalfoes Goldriver** from my hand to the graveyard!" - Ella said, and both Fiends looked at her in confusion - "And activate **Super Pol** **ymerization**! I fuse **Metalfoes Volflame** and **Hyper Psychic Blaster**!"

"You can't just use my monster as fusion material!" - the Fiend exclaimed out of desperation.

"I just did."

Hyper Psychic Blaster and Metalfoes Volflame shot up in the sky, where a portal opened in the middle of the field. After a few seconds, from the portal descended a green dragonic creature with golden claws and wings, its body seemingly only held together by a marble-coloured ribcage.

"Fusion Summon, Level 10! **Ultimate Axon Kicker**! (LIGHT/Psychic/Level 10/ATK 2900/DEF 1700)"

Off to the side, Niall could't help but crack a smile.

"Told you she wasn't going to lose."

"I'll set one monster." - the Fiend continued his turn after losing his most powerful card - "And I end my turn."

 **Turn 6 - Ella (LP - 2000 / Hand - 0 / Field - Monsters:** Ultimate Axon Kicker, **Pendulum Cards:** Metalfoes Silverd, Metalfoes Volflame **)**

"Time for the part where you both lose." - Ella smirked - "I activate **Re-Fusion**! By paying 800 life points, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster from the graveyard." - she said, and Orichalc appeared in front of her.

 **Ella:** LP 2000 - 800 = 1200

"Next, from my extra deck, I'll Pendulum Summon two **Metalfoes Volflame**!" - two bright orange tanks appeared on her field, as it now consisted of an impressive four monsters.

"Battle Phase!" - she began her unrelenting string of attacks - "First, **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack that set monster!" - Orichalc threw both of its flaming axes towards the set card, and it exploded before anyone even got a chance to see that it was Mind Protector.

"Oh, and when a Metalfoes monster attacks, and **Orichalc** is on the field, you take double piercing damage!

 **Fiend 064:** LP 3000 - 1200 = 1800

"Now, about you." - she turned her head to face the other Fiend for a moment - " **Metalfoes Volflame** , take out **Starliege Paladynamo** , will you?"

Volflame charged its weapons, and shot six missiles towards Paladynamo, just to show off.

 **Fiend 023:** LP 2400 - 400 = 2000

"And while we're at it." - she looked at the other Volflame on her field - "Why not finish him off?"

The second Volflame repeated the same procedure from earlier, firing its missiles towards the Fiend's empty field, momentarily knocking him out.

 **Fiend 023:** LP 2000 - 2000 = 0

"So, remember **Hyper Psychic Blaster**?" - she turned her head back towards her other opponent, not even bothering to look at the end of her last attack - "Remember how you were going to defeat me with it? Well didn't that plan work out just great for you?" - she said facetiously.

Her words fell on deaf ears, as Fiend 064 backed up a few steps in fear of what was about to happen

" **Ultimate Axon Kicker**!" - she snapped her fingers - "End this duel, will you?" - the green dragon spread its golden wings, and two small orbs of light appeared at their tips. Out of them appeared rays of green lightning, shooting towards the other orb but never arriving at their destination, instead meeting in the middle to form a giant ball of green lightning, which shot towards the Fiend, causing a thundering explosion.

 **Fiend 064:** LP 1800 - 1800 = 0

Ella looked towards the two people lying on the floor in defeat, but quickly remembered why she was in this duel in the first place, and brought the topic back to that.

"Anyways, where's my brother?" - she asked the two men as they slowly got up, but unsurprisingly received no reply. She then looked towards Niall, who was slowly walking towards her with a big smile on his face, while Francis kept his distance, clearly still worried about the Fiends' very presence.

"We lost." - one of the them whispered into his duel disk, but provided no further detail. Niall's expression quickly changed from pleased to worried, but instead of saying anything, he ran past Ella.

"You're coming with us, whether you want to or not!" - the taller Fiend said, charging at her, while the shorter one was running the final preparations for both of them to teleport away in the background.

"No she's not!" - Niall barely managed to stop the Fiend, and tackled him to the ground. Unknowingly, Fiend 064 was still running the teleportation commands, and before anyone realized it, both Fiends, as well as Niall, were consumed by a bright white light, shining in the darkness of the night. Before Ella and Francis figured out what was even happening, all three of them were gone. Ella briefly stared at the cold concrete where her friend was just a second ago, before finally realizing the full scope of what had just happened, then fell down to her knees and put her head in her arms, barely managing to stop herself from crying. Francis walked over to her now the Fiends were gone, but didn't say anything, because whatever he said wouldn't make this situation any better. After two minutes of complete silence, Ella got up, dusted herself off, and started walking away from Francis, as if she didn't even acknowledge his existence.

"Where are you going?" - he asked her.

"Back to your house, where do you think I'm going?" - she shouted back at Francis, and continued walking as he could barely keep up with her pace - "I now have two people to find, and we need backup."

* * *

"So, how do you two know each other?" - Sara asked, as everyone was now safely inside the house.

"We've known each other since we were, what, seven or eight?" - Carla replied, and sat down on the stairs as the lone couch was now fully occupied.

"Yeah, it's been about ten years now." - Jonas confirmed.

"So why did you not mention her once?" - Daniel asked.

"It's complicated." - Jonas replied - "She disappeared about five or six months before I met you guys. And I never mentioned her because having to remember losing a person I cared about deeply was just tearing me apart."

The room fell quiet after that comment, before Jonas decided to break the silence.

"I didn't even know what happened to her, that's the worst part." - he continued - "I kept asking her parents almost every day for a month after her disappearance, but they refused to reply."

"So what _did_ happen to you?" - Hannah asked Carla after a brief pause.

"You should know." - she replied - "You were kept in the same room I was."

"Wait, you were kept there for six months?"

"Not only in there. I was moved there about three months ago, when Damien started preparing for the tournament in Neo Ragusa. And it was about eight months, I think." - Carla seemed almost worryingly nonchalant in her reply.

"How did you not go crazy?" - Hannah asked, but never received a reply, as Daniel budged in with another question.

"So how did you escape?"

"She sneaked in one day and took me here." - Carla pointed at Sara, who nodded to confirm the story.

"That was around the time I disappeared. I needed to take her back to safety before Vector could get her hands on her again."

"Why does Vector want us anyway?" - Daniel asked, referring to Hannah and himself.

"He wants to gather up the Dracoslayers." - Sara replied.

"Why?"

"Nobody really knows. That's what I was trying to find out in your dimension, but I never managed to."

After that answer, and another brief pause, Jonas decided to backtrack a bit.

"So, what actually happened in the Arena?" - he looked at Carla.

"What, when I disappeared?"

"Yeah."

"Damien said that it was an electrical malfunction that spiralled out of control. It seemed like a reasonable enough explanation, though it did prove to be awfully convenient, since it allowed him to kidnap me without being seen and what not."

"Wait a minute." - Hannah noticed something just as Carla finished her sentence - "Where is Damien?"

"What do you mean?" - Marco asked.

"He came here with us, right? But we just left him there" - she continued - "Should we go check if he's still at the house?"

"No, screw him." - Jonas said, clearly bitter about what he just found out - "Besides, I doubt he's even still there."

"I guess you do have a point." - Hannah said - "So, what do we do now?"

Everyone in the room looked at Sara, awaiting an answer from the only person that might have one, but she just shrugged. The room was consumed by an awkward silence for a few moments, before Ella suddenly burst into the room. She wasn't in any way curious about the five people she had never seen before standing in the room, and immediately started speaking before anyone could ask any questions to try and clear up their confusion.

"We have to go and find Niall." - she wasted no time, and skipped straight to the point.

"What are you talking about?" - Sara asked, clearly bewildered - "Where's Francis?".

Ella pointed at the open door, as if to say that he's still outside, making his way to the house, then elaborated on her earlier words.

"Are you even listening to me? The Fiends got to him. We ran into them, I dueled them, and after they lost they wanted to take me with them, but Niall got in their way."

"Where'd they take him?" - Sara attempted to garner some more information - "And what do they want to do with you in the first place?"

"I don't know, and I don't know."

"Well, that doesn't really answer anything, does it?" - Sara complained - "How are we supposed to find someone if we don't know where he is?"

"We'll have to find Vector then."

"You make it sound so easy." - Sara said sarcastically, but Jonas budged in before this could turn into a full-blown argument.

"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" - he asked.

"Oh yeah." - Sara realized how confusing this entire situation must have been for the five other people standing in the room right now - "This is Ella. We ran into her and Niall while they were looking for her brother. Francis and I decided to help them, but we got separated earlier when I ran into you guys."

"And now we're down one person." - Francis finally made his way through the front door, a couple of minutes after Ella, delayed by his sheer inability to keep up with her massive steps.

"You know what? We'll all go to sleep, and think this over in the morning." - Sara said, but Ella once again raised her voice, unwilling to back down from her decision to find her brother, and as of recently, Niall, as soon as possible.

"We don't have time to waste. Who knows what they could be doing to them right now?" - despite her insistence, Ella almost broke down into tears saying the last few words of the sentence, before a shake of the head to gather herself.

"Trust me, if they wanted to do something to either of them, it would have already happened. Rushing gets you nowhere." - Sara was unwilling to back down - "As I said, we'll discuss this in the morning. Now, let's figure out how we'll squeeze seven people onto three beds and a couch, and call it a day!" - she said in a commanding tone, and despite not wanting to give up, Ella decided she had no other choice but to listen to Sara, at least for the moment.

* * *

"I guess we're stuck together then." - Carla said jokingly, as she and Jonas entered the room in which she spent the majority of the last week. She walked over to the only window in the room, and stared at the silent darkness for a few moments, before turning around to face Jonas, who was now sat down on the bed. The room remained silent for a few more seconds, before Carla finally spoke up.

"Did you... think about me?" - she asked sheepishly, in a barely audible half-whisper - "While I was gone, I mean."

Jonas paused, somewhat shocked at even being asked that question.

"Of course I thought about you. Way too much, actually. Sometimes I wished I could just forget about you, but it never happened."

"Why?" - Carla was surprised after hearing the last sentence of Jonas' reply, but he quickly elaborated.

"I mean, I knew you for ten years, and then just one day you just disappeared. I was a complete wreck for a month after that happened. At some point, I just had to accept that I'd never see you again, and move on. Except it didn't go that smoothly. Every now and then my mind would just come back to you, and then I'd stare at the ceiling for the next couple of hours. That's why I kind of wanted to just forget about everything." - Jonas explained, taking only a few pauses to breathe in, and Carla's blue eyes were staring at him as he kept on talking, and she said nothing in reply, so Jonas continued.

"And at the end of the day, I'm glad my mind didn't let me forget you. Because now we're here."

Carla turned her back on Jonas again, and once more looked out the window into the darkness outside, as a single tear ran down her right cheek. She quickly wiped it away, and kept staring at the pitch-black wasteland outside, and the room fell silent.

Jonas was still sitting on the bed. He thought about whether or not he should say something, but ultimately decided to keep quiet. A quiet creek came from outside the door, probably from someone going to their room. A couple more minutes passed without anybody saying a word, and despite the fact that it was already past midnight, neither Jonas nor Carla seemed to be in any mood for sleep. Five more minutes. Carla now stopped looking through the window, as the blackness consumed everything, and was now sat down in front of the window, looking at the wall in front of her, which had a light blue tinge to it. Jonas decided to lay down on the bed as he grew more tired, but still without any wish or desire to go to sleep. He looked at Carla, whose face was barely visible from the angle he was looking at her, and wondered what was going through her head right now.

"Penny for your thoughts." - he decided to break the ten minute silence.

"It's just..." - Carla mumbled the start of her reply, not turning away from the wall she was facing - "It just came to me."

"What did?"

"The realization that you're here. I've not seen you for eight months, and now you're just... here. Out of nowhere."

"You don't sound particularly happy."

"No, I am." - she whispered.

Jonas didn't say anything, and instead got up from the bed, then walked over to Carla, and crouched next to her.

"What's happening?" - he said quietly, aware that everyone else in the house was probably sleeping.

"It's just a lot to handle right now." - Carla took her eyes off the wall to look at Jonas, and smiled at him, despite the fact that she looked like she was going to burst into tears any moment now.

"If you have anything to tell me, just do." - Jonas said, but Carla just turned away from him again, so he went back to the bed. He put his head down on one of the pillows on the bed, and he looked at his friend, sitting down on the wooden floor, her head on her knees. A silence loomed over the room, and nobody dared make a noise. Jonas looked at Carla for a few more minutes.

"Her hair looks longer than I remember." - he thought, already slightly losing consciousness. He smiled to himself, for no particular reason, and fell asleep.

Carla stared at the wall for a few more minutes, before finally deciding to get up and say something.

"Do you..." - she murmured, and turned around to find Jonas already asleep. She breathed in deeply, disappointed because she didn't get around to finishing the question.

"I'll ask him in the morning." - she walked over to the door, and turned off the last remaining lights in the house. The room fell as dark as everything around it.


	19. The Devil in the Shadows

**Chapter 19 - The Devil in the Shadows**

Carla was standing in the middle of nothing, surrounded by complete darkness. A few steps in front of her stood a figure, dressed in all white. She stared at the person, and they turned around. Jonas' green eyes stared straight at her, almost lifeless. She started moving across towards him, not in control of her movements, floating over the void. Carla and Jonas were now face to face with each other, and their noses nearly touched. She stared deep into his eyes, then extended her arms towards him, and embraced him tightly. They stood there in silence for a minute or two. Suddenly, she felt sudden warmth in her chest. Her shirt became damp. She backed away, and looked at Jonas. Blood was pouring out of his chest, creating a large red stain on his pristine white clothes. She stared into his dull, lifeless eyes in horror. He collapsed to the ground. She was fixated on the same place his eyes once were, and was now looking at two bright green dots, glaring at her through the black mist. Barely visible in the nothingness was a steel sword, with blood dripping off it. The thing in the shadows spread its wings, revealing their golden tips as they just barely peeked through the darkness. She kept staring at the monster's eyes, helpless. It let out a growl, and closed its wings. It turned around, revealing the tip of its golden tail, and disappeared completely. Carla was left in the void, doomed to stare at her departed friend, blood still pouring out of his chest. For eternity.

Carla woke up on the right side of the bed, facing the window, covered in sweat despite the room being relatively cold. The first thing she saw was the sun's failed attempts to break through the thick mist covering the wasteland. She turned around to find out she was alone in bed. The sheets where Jonas used to lay were pristine, and looked almost untouched. She shook her head, thinking that it would somehow help her to forget the nightmare she woke up from. She got up from bed, looked through the window once more, and stared at the desolate greyness of their surroundings. A voice came from downstairs. She couldn't make out exactly who it was, or what they said, but it was probably some simple morning small talk. She turned on her heel, away from the window, and went outside the bedroom to join the others. Downstairs, someone was just leaving the kitchen, holding a glass of water, while the others were in the middle of a discussion on what to do next, before someone finally noticed she was standing on top of the stairs.

"Look who finally got up." - Jonas commented. Carla paused her descent down the stairs briefly, and looked at him. He didn't look as upbeat as she remembered him, but that much was to be expected in this situation.

"Hey! Are you okay?" - he asked Carla, noticing she had been staring at him for quite a while.

"I'm fine." - she said, trying to get the nightmare out of her head - "What are you guys doing?"

"Trying to find Niall." - Ella replied.

"Ella mentioned that her duel disk is modified in the same way Niall's is." - Hannah added, placing her half-empty glass of water down on the table in the centre of the room - "Which means that it has tracking software. We're just trying to figure out a way to make it work."

"You'll have to elaborate on that a bit more." - Carla said, clearly not fully awake yet.

"Niall had installed this program that enables you to track the last person you dueled. And given that the last people I dueled are the same people who took him away, that should lead us straight to him." - Ella said, pressing buttons on her duel disk's central unit, seemingly at random.

"That seems like an… unnecessary addition."

"It was his idea. The thinking was that we'd duel each other occasionally, so if either of us ended up disappearing, the other would know how to find them."

"Sounds noble enough, I guess." - Carla commented, and Jonas entered the kitchen, distracting her for a second - "Wait, if it was used for that purpose, why do you not know how to use it now?"

"I never really paid attention when he was explaining it to me. I always thought he was being a bit paranoid." - Ella said, sounding disappointed in herself, then sighed - "It turned out to be unnecessary. Until now, that is."

After finding out what was going on, Carla remembered that she wanted to ask Jonas a question yesterday evening, but never got the chance to, so she followed him into the kitchen. She carefully shut the white, slightly dirty door behind her, and Jonas looked at her after hearing the door close. They stared at each other for a second or two.

"I wanted to ask you something yesterday, but you fell asleep." - Carla broke the silence. Jonas said nothing, and waited for the question, which never arrived, as a loud "got it" came from the living room. Carla momentarily gave up on asking the question, and turned around to reopen the kitchen door.

"Did you find his location?" - she asked, and Ella enthusiastically nodded.

"Where is he?" - Daniel asked.

"Two or three days away, I can't quite tell." - a small map popped up on Ella's duel disk - "Our house is on the way though, so we can take a break there."

"You seem really hell-bent on this." - Marco commented.

"Well, Niall's a friend. I'm going to try and rescue him with or without you guys." - Ella said - "But Sara here seems glad to help."

Sara nodded.

"We can either keep sitting here, doing nothing, or we can help Ella." - she said - "I mean, it's up to you guys whether you want to go or not. But if you decide to stay here, you are on your own."

"I might just do that." - Francis said, and Sara looked at him in disappointment - "Don't give me that look! I'm just not on board with helping someone I barely know, that's all. Besides, we need someone to look after the house too."

"You wuss." - Sara said under her breath - "Anyone else want to stay here?"

Marco raised his hand.

"I agree with him, to be honest." - he said - "I get that you want to help her, but it feels like too much of a risk. I'll help Francis look after this place." - he concluded. Sara took a deep breath, before once again asking if anyone wants to stay behind, and received nothing in reply.

"Okay then, looks like everything's planned out. I'll pack up a few things, and we'll be leaving in a couple of hours."

Everyone but Carla headed back to the rooms they were assigned. She stood around for a minute or two more without any particular reason. After realizing everyone already left the living room, she quickly stopped by the kitchen to drink a glass of water, then headed upstairs to her and Jonas' room. When she opened the door, Jonas was sitting on the bed, looking at her, almost as if he was waiting for her to come in.

"I believe you wanted to ask me something." - he said, then leaned back slightly. Upon seeing the nonchalance with which Jonas said those words, Carla experienced a sudden change of heart.

"Ah, it's not important." - she said - "I'll ask you later, we have time."

"You're lying through your teeth." - she thought to herself, almost expecting Jonas to say the exact same thing, but he just shrugged his shoulders and laid down on the bed.

"Why don't you just ask him the damn question?" - her inner monologue continued - "It's like four words."

"Shut up, I already said I'll ask him later." - she started arguing with her own thoughts.

"You say that, but I don't believe you."

"I'm not in the mood to argue with you."

"You do realize you're talking with yourself, right? And you're just standing awkwardly in the middle of the room."

Carla started walking towards her side of the bed. Her sudden movement caused Jonas to look at her for a split second, before diverting his gaze back to the ceiling. She sat on the bed, and looked through the window opposite her once more, the same window she spent an hour looking through last night. Finally, deciding that there's nothing better to do to help pass the time, she laid down on the bed, and decided to join Jonas in the endless task of staring at the ceiling.

* * *

A short man, wearing a slightly grey coat, walked down a long, tall hallway. His footsteps echoed off the walls endlessly, but turned into noise he didn't even register the more he walked. A faint scream came from down the hall. He looked back with faint regret in his eyes.

"Just ignore it." - he thought, trying to quiet down the screams coming from behind him - "He cannot be helped now."

The screams continued, although they became less frequent, and the further he got away from the laboratory behind him, the more they were replaced by the sound of his footsteps bouncing off the walls. He came upon a crossroads, where the hallway split. He briefly looked at the door in front of him, on which the words "Atomic physics research" were written, though they were almost faded after three years of that door being untouched. He turned left, knowing that the room he was headed to was at the end of the hallway. It is what used to be the biggest room in the entire academy, which was used for various ceremonies, either when someone made a new discovery, which was not frequent, or more often to hold the end of year ceremony, where students and their professors exchanged pleasantries, before the former would either head out into the world or start preparing for yet another year of endless studies. It doesn't matter anymore. They're all dead now. That room is no longer used for festivities. It's now become Vector's headquarters. He walked up to the oversized door at the end of the hallway, and knocked four times, then waited. He thought that, at the end of the day, he's lucky to even be alive right now, even if he is forced to do deplorable things day after day, month after month.

The door opened. He walked up to the once magnificient, but now decaying staircase that lead to the centre of the room, where Vector was standing. Vector's red eyes stared at the man atop the staircase, waiting for him to speak. And so he did.

"Patient 130 is almost done." - he mumbled. His mind refused to let him get any closer to Vector than he already was, so he remained on top of the stairs, quite far away from the pale man in the middle of the room. Because of his desire to maintain this distance, his words didn't quite reach Vector the first time.

"Could you repeat that?" - he growled.

"I said that Patient 130's conversion is almost done." - the man repeated himself, this time loud enough for his voice to reach Vector.

"Good." - Vector said - "Just inform me when it's fully done, please."

The man eagerly started leaving the room, before Vector remembered to ask him one last thing.

"Oh, and did you take away his deck?"

"It's in the archives." - he said, and nodded, then finally left the room, leaving Vector to bask in the grand room's silence.

"What you did will not go unpunished." - he groaned - "I can promise you that."

His vague platitudes were interrupted as another person entered the room. He was taller and younger than the man before him, as well as much more pale.

"Oh, there you are. I was expecting you." - Vector said, despite sounding surprised by the man's arrival - "How is the plan progressing?"

"Just as expected." - the Fiend gave a brief reply - "They have our location, it should not be too long before they appear."

"And has the deck been finalized yet?" - Vector asked.

"Almost." - the Fiend answered - "There's a couple more ratios we have to finalize, and then it'll be ready to use."

"Fantastic!" - Vector said, his attempts to sound enthused ending in him saying the word that little bit too loudly - "Report to me when it's done, and then we can give the deck to 130." - he said a bit more quietly.

"With all due respect, sir." - the Fiend hadn't left the room yet - "I think there are several other people, including myself, more qualified than him to carry out this task."

"Absolutely not!" - Vector shouted, this time on purpose, causing the Fiend to jump slightly - "You know why he's necessary to this plan!"

"Because he has connections to them." - the man on top of the stairs muttered, and turned around to leave the room. He shut the door behind him with a bit too much vigour, causing a loud echo to bounce off the walls, before everything quieted down. The clock was about to hit noon. The sun was high in the sky, although barely visible through the cloud cover, and the entire room was dimly lit.

Vector smiled.

* * *

Back at the house, the group was just about to leave. Jonas was still laying on the bed. Carla exited the room some ten or fifteen minutes ago, probably to help with the final preparations. Jonas' name wasn't said at any point, so he just figured that he wasn't needed, and stayed in the comfort of his bed for the time being. He thought about the mystery question Carla still didn't get round to asking him.

"Something's been playing on her mind for a while now."

Carla's voice came from downstairs, telling Jonas to get a move on, as they were just about ready to leave.

"I wish she would just tell me what's on her mind."

"Why don't you ask her?" - a voice came somewhere from his subconscious.

He ignored the question he just asked himself, and opened the door. All of the questions that were bothering him seconds earlier evaporated as soon as he exited the room.

"Are we ready to leave?" - he asked this question to nobody in particular, and an answer came from downstairs.

"Just about." - Sara said.

Hannah exited her room in the middle of the hallway, and not paying full attention to where she was going, almost knocked Jonas down the stairs. She briefly apologized, then asked:

"Are we ready to go?"

"Almost." - Sara repeated herself - "Jonas literally just asked that."

"Well excuse me for being in my room."

The clock ticked on. Jonas sat down on the couch, watching everyone else prepare for their upcoming trip. Nobody asked him for help, nor did he particularly feel like helping. He was quite tired, for reasons he couldn't quite comprehend, as he spent the last few hours doing absolutely nothing. The time to depart was almost at hand. While looking through her list, which contained things they were supposed to be bringing, she asked everyone whether they had their decks on them. Upon being asked this, Jonas finally awoke from his half-slumber, and realized that both his deck and duel disk was upstairs. He got up from the couch after lazily sitting on it for the past half an hour, and headed upstairs. He opened the door, and immediately to his right was a simple wooden table. It was clearly quite antique, showing signs of wear after decades of usage. Jonas wondered why something so old was even still sitting here, then realized that everyone who lived in this house for the past few years was probably too occupied with other things to replace it. The top drawer creaked as he opened it. His red and silver duel disk was in there, with his deck comfortably placed in its slot. He grabbed it, and headed back out into the hallway. He closed the door one last time, and went back downstairs.

"Is that really everything we need?" - Jonas asked, noticing only two people had backpacks on them.

"No, there's this one too." - Sara handed one to him - "Besides, Ella said that their house is along the way, so we can pick up stuff we need from there as well."

"How far away did you say it was?" - Hannah asked Ella, who was the first to start heading for the door.

"About eight or so hours, I'd say. If we're lucky we'll be there before evening." - she replied. Everyone followed her. Before they knew it, all eight of them were gathered in front of the house. The sun was right above them, not that anyone was able to tell.

"Take care of this place for me, will you?" - Sara told Francis. He nodded. They looked at each other wistfully, neither one of them wanted to leave the other, but they didn't want to change their mind either. Sara was leaving, and Francis was staying.

"And you help out, alright?" - Daniel told Marco, also looking at him with a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

"We'll be fine." - Marco said - "You guys be careful. We want you back in one piece."

Ella stood slightly to the side, observing the whole exchange. She didn't want to interrupt anyone. As much as she wanted to find Ian and Niall as soon as possible, she understood that she would be saying these exact same things to them if they were here. Everyone exchanged a few more words, before they ran out of them, so Ella finally spoke up.

"I think it's time for us to go." - she said quietly, so as to not appear brazen - "If you're all done, that is."

Everyone appeared as if they wanted to say only a couple of words more before they set off, but none of them did. Instead, everyone just gazed at each other for a few more seconds. The skies cleared for just a brief moment, and the sun shone over the very spot they were standing in, before the clouds took over once more. They finally set off down the coast and into the wasteland. The group of eight became a group of six.


	20. Vermillion

**Chapter 20 - Vermillion**

"Where do you think they are now?" - Marco asked, staring through the window in the living room for lack of better things to do.

"It's been four hours, so still in the middle of nowhere, I would guess." - Francis replied - "Don't worry, by the way. I remember one time, when Sara came back from your dimension, she told me how good your friends are, so they'll be fine."

"She didn't mention me?" - Marco asked, just to continue the conversation, although he wasn't really bothered by what the answer was going to be.

"I don't think she's ever seen you duel."

"You know what…" - Marco said, then paused.

"What?"

"I don't know how nobody else asked this question before, but how did she go between this dimension and ours?"

Francis rushed upstairs into the room he slept in last night. About a minute passed, and Marco could hear him opening and closing drawers until he finally found what he was looking for. When he came back down, he was holding a small circular device.

"She used this thing, the EDT." - Francis explained.

"The EDT?"

"Extradimensional transporter. It's just a fancy name we came up with."

"So, why couldn't we use that thing to go back to our dimension? Not that it matters now anyways."

"It's quite unstable for now. It can transport you back for a day at best, and it can't take back more than two or three people at a time."

"Where'd you even get that thing?" - Marco continued asking questions, curious about the device.

"Sara just happened to get it off one of the Fiends after she defeated him. It's usually only used for interdimensional teleportation, but we had a friend who modified it so we can go to your dimension as well."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Well, the code for that was already in the device, so it just had to be enabled." - Francis explained - "But as we quickly discovered, it's quite unstable, and he never got the chance to bugfix it."

"Who is he?"

"A friend Sara and I had. He liked messing around with tech."

"So why didn't he get to finish it?"

"God only knows. He disappeared one night and we never saw him again. He might have been turned into a Fiend, though it's probably more likely that he's just dead."

"You don't seem too upset by that."

"Believe me, if you lived in this world for as long as I have, you'd get used to seeing people die as well." - Francis said in a quiet, sombre tone. Marco, still staring through the window, noticed someone slowly approaching the house, though they were too far away, so he couldn't tell who it was.

"Is that one of the Fiends?" - he asked, and pointed at the person. Francis didn't notice anything at first, but he then stepped closer to the window and squinted a bit.

"Might be, I really can't tell" - Francis replied - "Let's just wait and see if they come any closer, but get your deck ready just in case."

* * *

"How far away are we?" - Sara asked, walking at the back of the group, keeping an eye on everyone.

"About halfway there. Do you want to take a break?" - Ella said, though she didn't show any signs of slowing down.

"Yeah." - a few people replied in tandem.

"Fine." - Ella was a bit disappointed and turned on her heel to face everyone behind her, all of whom stopped walking already - "We'll sit here for ten minutes and waste time." - she sounded quite bitter, but calmed down after realizing she could use a rest as well. The adrenaline took over for the past four hours, and she didn't even notice how tired she was. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before someone spoke up again.

"We've got company." - Ella said in a whisper, trying to not be heard. Despite everyone's attempts to stay quiet, the Fiend was headed straight for them.

"If it's a duel he wants…" - she got up, and started readying her duel disk, before Sara interrupted her.

"Probably not the best idea." - she said, and Ella looked at her in confusion - "If you duel now, the data about who you dueled last will get erased, then we'll have to find this guy's coordinates."

"But… I want to duel against him."

"I know you do, but just this once, save us the trouble and hold off."

"Well if I won't duel him, who will?"

"Sara!" - a voice came from behind them as the Fiend approached - "Haven't seen you in a while." - despite the sentiment, he sounded sarcastic.

"Who…" - Sara turned around. Before she could finish her question, the man continued.

"You lot are coming with me."

"I have an alternate proposal." - Jonas got up - "We're not."

Sara looked at Jonas, and signalled him to get back, mouthing the words "Let me take care of this", so he obliged.

"Okay, Leon, here's the deal." - she took a few steps towards the Fiend, who looked a touch surprised that someone referred to him by name - "You and me, duel, now. If you win, you can take us to Vector, and do whatever you want. If I win, you go away. Deal?"

"See, I wanted to suggest that." - the Fiend said arrogantly - "But I thought I'd spare you the embarrassment of losing."

"Cut the crap, will you?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but how do you two know each other?" - Ella budged in.

"I'll get to that, I just have to take care of him first." - she turned away from Ella to face her opponent - "So, I presume we're dueling then."

The Fiend nodded, and both activated their duel disks.

 **Turn 1 - Fiend 103 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Let's make this as quick as possible. I summon **Evoltile Najasho**! (FIRE/Reptile/Level 2/ATK 100/DEF 2000)" - a snake appeared on the field, a thin purple line splitting the grey and white parts of its body. At the back of its body was a single pair of small legs, which didn't seem all that useful.

"Next, I activate **Evo-Force**! By tributing **Najasho** , I can Special Summon an Evolsaur monster from my deck!" - a bright glow consumed the snake, and in its place appeared a green dinosaur, with purple pyramidal spikes running down its spine and covering its back, and several larger red spikes coming out of its neck - "I summon **Evolsaur Pelta** , (FIRE/Dinosaur/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 2000) which gains 500 DEF when summoned this way."

 **Evolsaur Pelta:** DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500

"Also, when **Evoltile Najasho** is tributed, I can summon another Evolsaur from my deck! Summon, **Evolsaur Diplo**! (FIRE/Dinosaur/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 800)" - a long-necked dinosaur appeared. The majority of its body was purple, except for its stomach and the bottom of its neck, which were white, and it also sported a small pair of wings which looked unable to even lift its huge body off the ground, let alone make it fly.

"Now, I'll overlay my Level 4 **Evolsaur Pelta** and **Evolsaur Diplo**! Millions of years of evolution, resulting in the creation of the ultimate killing machine! Xyz Summon, **Evolzar Laggia**! (FIRE/Dragon/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2000)" - a red-eyed cyan dragon appeared, with not one but three pairs of wings, which were capable of making the creature fly with ease.

"I'll end my turn with that."

 **Turn 2 - Sara (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"With **Laggia** on the field, he can negate anything I do." - Sara thought as she drew a card - "So I'll have to start off slow."

"I Normal Summon **Crystron Quan**! (WATER/Machine/Tuner/Level 1/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a small robot appeared, made entirely of smooth white crystals, with a glowing white core in the middle of its torso. Its hands, feet and visor were made out of a matte black material, and the entire robot was giving off a faint light blue glow.

"Doesn't she play Hieratics?" - Jonas asked quietly. Everyone except Carla shrugged.

"That's Francis' deck." - she said - "Sara just borrowed them while she was in our dimension."

"Ah, I see."

"Now, I'll set three cards, and end my turn!" - three cards appeared face-down, vertically in front of her. Everyone who was watching the duel was left in disbelief.

"Didn't you say you were going to win?" - someone asked.

"Relax, I got this." - Sara replied - "Go on with your turn then."

 **Turn 3 - Fiend 103 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Evolzar Laggia **)**

"That's quite unimpressive." - the Fiend commented.

"Your face is quite unimpressive." - Sara said snappishly - "Now shut up and play!"

"Fine, jeez." - the Fiend pretended to be offended for a brief moment, before he realized nobody was buying it, and continued his turn - "I summon **Evolsaur Cerato**! (FIRE/Dinosaur/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1400)" - a small orange dinosaur appeared. It had small wings and short arms, and its head, body and legs were covered by a hard grey shell.

"Battle! **Evol** **zar Laggia** , attack **Crystron Quan**!" - the dragon fired a bright fiery beam towards Quan, melting it away in an instance.

 **Sara:** LP 4000 - 1900 = 2100

"I activate **Crystron Entry** , allowing me to Special Summon two Crystron Tuners..."

"No you don't." - the Fiend interrupted her - "I detach 2 materials from **Evolzar Laggia** , and negate the activation. And now that we've taken care of that, I'll attack you directly with **Evolsaur Cerato**!"

Sara looked unfazed, even confident, despite an attack coming her way.

 **Sara:** LP 2100 - 1900 = 200

"You did say you were going to win, right?" - Carla asked with a hint of urgency in her voice.

"I still have 200 life points left, don't I?" - Sara replied - "Now stand back and watch."

 **Turn 4 - Sara (LP - 200 / Hand - 2 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 2 set **)**

"Draw!"

"You're done next turn, by the way." - the Fiend said casually.

"What next turn?" - Sara asked, and smiled, much to the Fiend's surprise, even though he still remained confident.

"I activate **Different Dimension Deepsea Trench**!" - she started her turn - "It allows me to banish a WATER monster from my hand, field or graveyard, and I'll banish **Crystron Quan**!" - the ground in front of her split open, and emitted a dark blue glow.

"And what's the point of that?" - the Fiend asked.

"Would you _shut up already?_ " - Sara was already more than a bit annoyed with the constant interruptions, but managed to continue her turn eventually.

"I Normal Summon **Crystron Prasiortle**! (WATER/Machine/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 2000)" - a mechanical turtle appeared. The main parts of its body were made out of dark steel, but its shell and limbs were bursting with sharp green crystals.

"Now, I'll use the effect of **Prasiortle**! I destroy one of my face-up cards, and summon a Crystron Tuner from my deck!" - the trench in front of her closed up - "I summon **Crystron Citree**! (WATER/Machine/Tuner/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 500)" - a small female-looking robot appeared. Its suit of armour was made of a combination of black steel and polished citrine, whereas its eyes and hair were made out of sharper yellow gems.

"And, when **Different Dimension Deepsea Trench** is destroyed, I can summon the monster banished by its effect to my field!" - Sara said, and the small blue robot appeared in front of her again.

"But we'll get back to him. First, I'll tune my Level 2 **Crystron Citree** and Level 2 **Crystron Prasiortle**! Descend, ancient king of the beasts! Let the sun gleam off your quartz armour, and blind your enemies with the light of destruction! Synchro Summon, **Crystron Quandax**! (WATER/Machine/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 2000)" - a large humanoid robot appeared in place of the two monsters. Its inner body was made out of sharp blue crystals, but most of it was covered by sleek quartz armour, occasionally interrupted by a hint of gold.

"Not done yet! Next, I'll activate the effect of **Crystron Entry** from the graveyard!" - Sara continued.

"Wait, that's the card I negated!" - the Fiend remembered.

"Yes, yes it is." - Sara tried her hardest to sound as condescending as possible - "Do you really think I didn't know you'd use **Laggia** to negate **Entry**?"

"Well…"

"And now that it has no more materials, I'm free to do whatever I please!" - Sara interrupted the Fiend - "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, I banished **Crystron Entry** from my graveyard, which allows me to send **Crystron Rosenix** from the deck to the graveyard. By doing that, I can change the Level of a Crystron monster I control to the sent monster's Level."

 **Crystron Quan** : Level 1 to 4

"And, I'll banish **Crystron Rosenix** from my graveyard." - a small red crystal started assembling itself on Sara's field - "And summon a **Crystron Token** (WATER/Machine/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to my field!" - the crystal's construction was now complete, and despite being small enough to fit in someone's hand, it emitted a powerful red glow.

"Now, I'll tune the Level 4 **Crystron Quan** and the Level 1 **Crystron Token**! Ascend, azure dragon! Like a guardian spirit, rise from an abyss forgotten by time! Synchro Summon, **Crystron Ametrix**! (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1500)" - a second robot appeared on Sara's field, slightly larger than the first. Its armour was made out of a smooth, dark purple crystal, but everything beneath the suit, as well as its wings, was made out of glowing, unrefined citrine.

"When **Ametrix** is summoned, all of your Special Summoned monsters change to defense position!" - Evolzar Laggia covered its body with its wings, as if it knew what was coming.

"Finally, I activate **Crystron Impact**! This card allows me to Special Summon one of my banished Crystron monsters! Rise, **Crystron Rosenix**! (WATER/Machine/ATK 1800/DEF 1000)" - a red mechanical bird appeared, its wings made out of polished pink crystals - "And, when I summon a monster with the effect of **Impact** , the DEF of all monsters you control changes to 0."

 **Evolzar Laggia:** DEF 2000 - 2000 = 0

 **Evolsaur Cerato:** DEF 1400 - 1400 = 0

"Battle! **Crystron Rosenix** , attack **Evolzar Laggia**!" - the bird spread its wings, and sharp pieces of red quartz started detaching themselves from the wings, and fired towards the dragon.

"Next, **Crystron Ametrix** , attack **Evolsaur Cerato**!" - Ametrix attacked in a similar way to Rosenix, spreading wide its wings of citrine, and firing sharp mineral shards towards the dinosaur.

 **Fiend 103:** LP 4000 - 600 = 3400

"Not done yet! **Crystron Quandax** , direct attack!" - unlike the two before it, Quandax didn't go for a ranged attack method, instead pulling out a piece of blue crystal, which it then used to impale the opponent.

 **Fiend 103:** LP 3400 - 1800 = 1600

The Fiend took a bit of time to gather himself, but even despite three relentless attacks, wasn't backing down from his belief that he would win.

"All that talk, and I still have 1600 life points left!" - he said - "Could you just not find a way to beat me?"

"I activate **Urgent Tuning**!" - Sara said, waiting for him to finish, though she didn't pay any attention whatsoever to his ramblings - "Now, I can Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase!"

"What?"

"You heard me! I tune the Level 4 **Crystron Quandax** and Level 5 **Crystron Ametrix**! Rise from the ashes, vermillion bird, and shatter life into a million pieces! Synchro Summon, **Crystron Phoenix**! (WATER/Machine/Level 9/ATK 2800/DEF 2000)" - a large red crystal appeared on the field, and quickly shattered, revealing a red robot inside. Its sleek body was covered mostly in smooth crimson metal, and composed of a brightly glowing red mineral, which branched off at the shoulders to create a crystal formation resembling wings.

" **Crystron Phoenix** , direct attack!" - the Fiend stared helplessly at the machine charging towards him.

 **Fiend 103:** LP 1600 - 1600 = 0

"Get up." - Sara walked over to her opponent once the duel was over. As he couldn't, or didn't want to get up, she grabbed his collar and pulled him up.

"Leon, if I see you one more time, you're not making it out alive." - she whispered in his ear, then let him fall back down to the ground - "Now go away." - she said just before he was teleported away.

"That was fantastic!" - Carla was the first to speak to her, but Ella felt there were more pressing matters at hand.

"You said you were going to explain how you two know each other." - she said - "So, start explaining."

"Oh, that." - Sara barely remembered she once knew this person - "He used to be a friend of Francis and I. A good friend. One night he disappeared, and we didn't know what happened to him."

"By the sound of that it seems like you should be happy to see him." - Jonas commented.

"Usually I would be. But he's dead."

Despite the fact that everyone understood what Sara meant by her comment, Ella asked her to elaborate anyways.

"I say he's dead. He's not dead, as you were clearly able to see." - Sara continued - "But he might as well be. Once you're turned into a Fiend, you lose everything that was human inside you. You retain your memories, but everything else is lost. No emotion, no feelings. You just become an empty husk of a human, existing only to serve Vector and nothing more. And I can't care about that."

Nobody had anything to say after that, so they just stood around in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Ella was once again the first person to speak up.

"We should continue walking." - she said - "This duel was a bit of a delay, but we should still comfortably make it to our safe house before sunset. Given that there's no more interruptions, that is."

After Ella said that, their journey continued pretty much as normal. The clouds slightly cleared now, which they rarely ever do, and the wasteland felt just that little bit warmer.


	21. Children of Inferno

**Chapter 21 - Children of Inferno**

The sun was setting, and the orange light was glistening off the calm sea. Not too far off the coast, the group just entered a two-story house. As soon as they entered, Ella called out Niall's name, almost by instinct, even though she knew he wouldn't be there.

"You guys make yourself comfortable." - she instructed the others - "I'll have a look around the house to check if anyone's been here recently."

Almost everyone sat down, some on the sofa, and some on the floor, all exhausted from the eight-hour walk. Immediately after Ella exited the room, Sara noticed someone out the window.

"It appears we have company." - she said and barely managed to lift her hand and point at who she saw - "It's another Fiend."

"Well, who's going to take care of this one?" - Daniel asked, getting ready to join everyone in sitting down. Before he managed that, everyone picked him to fight the Fiend, using "you're the only one still standing" as an excuse. Daniel sighed.

"I didn't want to get any rest anyways." - he grumbled, and headed for the door, as the sun continued to set. Nobody immediately followed him outside, as they were all on the brink of sleep after sitting down.

Daniel waited for a few seconds, and silently looked at the woman approaching him. Once she did, she whispered something into her duel disk, but Daniel couldn't catch anything she said. The voice that replied to her was also barely audible, but she understood what was being said perfectly, nodded, and activated her duel disk. Daniel followed suit, trying to convince himself he's not tired.

"You and the rest of your friends are coming with me!" - she told Daniel, perhaps a bit too loudly, and drew her opening five cards.

"Dream on." - Daniel replied.

 **Turn 1 - Fiend 006 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"To start off, I'll activate **Hazy Pillar**!" - the Fiend wasted no time. A large bright fire appeared behind her, then shot up into the sky and formed a giant blazing pillar.

"Then, I summon **Hazy Flame Sphynx**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 1900/DEF 1900)" - a sphinx hovered slightly off the ground. Its fur was the same colour as that of a lion, its long, flowing mane was a bright shade of orange, and the tip of its tail was on fire.

"But that's a Level 6 monster." - Daniel commented.

" **Hazy Pillar** allows me to Normal Summon Hazy Flame monsters with no tributes." - the Fiend elaborated - "Now, I activate **Sphynx** 's effect. I guess what type of card will be on the top of my deck, and if I get it right, I can Special Summon a FIRE monster from my hand. Ready?"

Daniel nodded.

"That seems a bit risky. What if she gets it wrong?" - he thought.

"The card on the top of my deck is a monster!" - the Fiend said. A glowing card appeared above her, and the glow slowly faded to reveal what card it was.

"Well, it's **Hazy Flame Peryton** , so I got it right! Impressive, right?" - she didn't sound the slightest bit enthused about getting it right - "And you know what happens now."

"I know what happens. Would you just play?" - Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Not before you tell me what happens next." - the Fiend replied.

"Well we're going to be standing here for a long time then." - Daniel stubbornly refused to humour her request.

"Well fine." - the Fiend gave up - "I Special Summon **Hazy Flame Hydra** (FIRE/Dinosaur/Level 6/ATK 2300/DEF 200) from my hand!".

Another massive creature hovered above the ground, lit up by the bright flaming pillar behind it. Its snake-like body slowly changed colour from bright green to yellow, and ended in eight red flaming heads, each moving around with a mind of its own.

"Now, I overlay my Level 6 **Hazy Flame Sphynx** and **Hazy Flame Hydra**! Rise from the flames in a hazy flame of glory, and turn your enemies to stone! Xyz Summon! **Hazy Flame Basiltrice**! (FIRE/Pyro/Rank 6/ATK 2500/DEF 1800)" - a six-legged rooster appeared, with bright flaming wings and a dragon-like tail. Its head, which was enveloped in blue flames, was connected to its red body by a long neck covered in turquoise feathers.

"Next, since I used **Hydra** for an Xyz Summon, I can attach 1 Hazy Flame monster from my graveyard to the summoned Xyz Monster as material!" - the Fiend's graveyard was glowing red, and out of it came a sphere that stared orbiting around Basiltrice - "Now, since **Basiltrice** has 3 materials, it gains 200 ATK for each of its materials!"

 **Hazy Flame Basiltrice:** ATK 2500 + 600 = 3100

"Also, I use the effect of **Hazy Pillar** , and attach **Hazy Flame Griffin** from my hand to **Basiltrice** as Xyz Material as well!"

 **Hazy Flame Basiltrice:** ATK 3100 + 200 = 3300

"And just for your information, since **Hazy Flame Basiltrice** , has four materials, it now cannot be targeted by your card effects." - the Fiend finished her turn.

 **Turn 2 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"My turn then!" - Daniel said, but wasn't sure of what he could do in the current situation.

"Getting over that flaming bird is quite an ask." - he thought as he drew the card, which revealed itself to be Luster Pendulum - "Or not."

"I activate two **Igknight Paladin** in my Pendulum Scales!" - two familiar lavender warriors appeared on the field, one each side of Daniel, with him standing in the middle.

"Next, I'll use their effects!" - the Paladins disappeared off the field as swiftly as they appeared - "And add **Igknight Margrave** from my deck to my hand! Using the Scale 5 **Margrave** and the Scale 2 **Igknight Cavalier** in my hand, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

The pink warrior in the glowing pillar on the left sported several knives, while the red one on the right only had two blades, which were also disguised as guns.

"Now, from my extra deck, I Pendulum Summon both my **Igknight Paladins** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 1900), and from my hand, **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 0)"

"There it is." - the Fiend thought.

Back in the house, Ella just came back into the living room, where everyone was still sitting down. She quickly scanned the room, and noticed one person was curiously missing. Before she could ask anything, a question came her way.

"Anything weird around the house?" - Jonas asked.

"No. Everything looks untouched." - she replied - "Where's Daniel?"

"Outside." - Hannah said, as she got up to stretch - "A Fiend came by and we picked him to duel."

"I tune my Level 4 **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** and Level 4 **Igknight Paladin**!" - Daniel's voice came from the outside. Despite the fact she barely heard it, Ella's eyes immediately widened, and she rushed outside. Nobody was in any particular rush to follow her, though they did all start slowly getting up to see how Daniel is getting on.

"Combine! The bond of the Igknights and the might of the Dracoslayers! Channel the strength of your fallen comrades and ascend from the ashes of Armageddon! Synchro Summon! **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer**! (FIRE/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2850/DEF 0)" - Ignister's mighty wings kept him hovering above the ground, and the dust settled.

"I'll use **Ignister** 's effect to destroy **Igknight Paladin** , and shuffle **Hazy Flame Basiltrice** back into the deck!" - Daniel exclaimed.

"But…" - the Fiend was about to object, but was distracted by Ella suddenly bursting out of the house behind Daniel, and by the time she remembered what she was going to say, Daniel finished her thought for her.

" **Ignister** doesn't target, if that's what you're wondering." - Igknight Paladin was consumed by a large flame, followed by a large explosion on the Fiend's side of the field, and both fields now remained empty, apart from one giant red dragon.

" **Ignister** , direct attack!" - Daniel said. He didn't feel exhausted anymore, and almost felt reinvigorated by the past five minutes. The Fiend barely managed to utter the word "crap" before being blown back by Ignister's fierce attack

 **Fiend 006:** LP 4000 - 2850 = 1150

"I end my turn."

Just as the Fiend was about to draw her card, and try to somehow rebound after losing her boss monster, someone interrupted the duel.

"It's time we put an end to this." - Ella said, and activated her duel disk.

"I don't think that's necessary." - Daniel looked at her, but she didn't listen to him, and started her turn.

 **Turn 3 - Ella (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I can't draw this turn, since I joined in so abruptly." - Ella thought - "But this hand is good enough."

"If she really wants to help, then I guess it's fine." - Daniel thought - "Well, let's see what she can do."

"Using the Scale 1 **Metalfoes Silverd** , and Scale 8 **Metalfoes Volflame** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - the two monsters appeared either side of her, though without the vehicles they are usually riding - "And I'll use **Volflame** 's effect, destroy **Silverd** , and set a **Metalfoes Fusion** from my deck!"

The card was set vertically in front of her, but it didn't stay face-down for long, as she immediately activated it.

"From my hand, I fuse **Metalfoes Volflame** and **Metalfoes Steelen**! Merge, man and machine! Take flight, mythical master of mountains, and soar through the skies as the sun glistens off your silver steel! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Mithrilium**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1000)" - a female warrior appeared, heavily resembling Silverd. Her steel armour glistened silver, and attached to her back were plane wings with a bright green edge.

"Next, I place **Metalfoes Goldriver** in my Pendulum Scale, and Pendulum Summon, back from the extra deck, **Metalfoes Silverd**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 100)!"

"Alright, that should be more than enough to finish her off!" - despite his earlier complaints about the duel being interrupted, Daniel sounded enthused because it was coming to a close.

"Stay quiet." - Ella cut him off - "I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** in the graveyard, shuffling it back into my deck to draw 1 card."

She took Fusion out of her graveyard, let the duel disk shuffle the deck for a few seconds, then drew a card. At this point, everyone came out of the house to watch the duel.

"And, I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Mithrilium** , and shuffle **Volflame** and **Silverd** from my graveyard into the deck…"

"This all seems a bit unnecessary, I mean she could just attack and…" - Daniel thought, but was interrupted, shocked by what followed.

"…and return **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer** to the hand. Or to the extra deck, if you will."

Everyone watching the duel, as well as Daniel, was overwhelmed by confusion as Ignister disappeared off the field.

"Battle!" - Ella didn't pause to try and explain herself - " **Metalfoes Silverd** , get that Fiend out of my sight!"

 **Fiend 006:** LP 1150 - 1150 = 0

The Fiend collapsed to the ground again, as she only barely managed to recover from Ignister's earlier attack. Nobody paid attention to the fact that she teleported away almost immediately, and Ella turned towards Daniel. He looked at her with slight fear in his eyes, hoping that what was about to happen wouldn't.

" **Metalfoes Mithrilium** …" - Ella said through gritted teeth - "…direct attack!"

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 2600 = 1400

After the attack, Daniel looked at her, still laying down on the ground. She set one card, and ended her turn.

 **Turn 4 - Daniel (LP - 1400 / Hand - 2 / Field - Pendulum Zones:** Igknight Cavalier, Igknight Margrave **)**

"I don't know why you did that, and I don't particularly care." - Daniel got back up on his feet, and drew a card - "But since it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get."

Daniel completely lost his cool, and looked at Ella with the eyes of a demon, causing her to briefly lose her cool.

"From my extra deck, I Pendulum Summon 2 **Igknight Paladin** and **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** once more!" - three monsters appeared in front of him, two heavily armoured warriors and one humanoid dragon, all in attack position.

"I tune the Level 4 **Luster Pendulum** and the Level 4 **Igknight Paladin**! The bond of the Igknights and the might of the Dracoslayers combine to create the ultimate destruction deity! Consume the souls of the fallen, ascend from the ashes of Armageddon, _and crush the infidel that dares roam this world!_ Synchro Summon, **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer**!" - a shroud of darkness appeared behind Daniel briefly, and two bright red eyes sparkled in the middle of it, before the black mist dispersed and Ignister flew out of it.

"I use **Ignister** 's effect!" - Daniel growled - "I destroy **Metalfoes Silverd** , and shuffle **Metalfoes Mithrilium** into the deck!"

"What the hell is happening?" - Carla asked, still not being able to fully comprehend what she was seeing.

"Why the hell is it happening is a better question." - Hannah said.

"I don't know." - Sara provided a pointless answer - "But if this effect goes through, Ella's done for."

Ella smiled.

"I activate **Fullmetalfoes Fusion** , allowing me to Fusion Summon a Metalfoes monster, but more importantly, causing **Ignister** to lose its target!"

Mithrilium shot up in the sky, quickly followed by Silverd, as Daniel looked on, disappointed that his plan didn't go through.

"Merge, man and machine! Break the silence and ignite the spark of justice! Rise, rebel, and rain down the flames of revolution! Fusion Summon, **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - a brand new monster appeared. Its purple hair was covered by a large hat, resembling that of a witch, and it sported a long cape. The vehicle parts on its arms and around its cape were made out of a strange metal that looked like it had the ability to change colour, though currently it was a dull shade of dark grey. Finally, in its right hand was a staff with an energy core on top of it, the exact same core that appears to power all Metalfoes vehicles.

"Also, when **Mithrilium** is sent to the graveyard, I can summon back a Metalfoes Pendulum Monster from my extra deck! Come back once more, **Metalfoes Silverd**!" - Ella wrapped her move up.

"That's your big plan? A monster with no ATK?" - Daniel laughed - "Battle Phase! **Ignister** , get that thing out of my sight." - Ella didn't look the slightest bit disturbed by the incoming attack.

"I activate the effect of **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest** , allowing me to take one of your Effect Monsters…" - she said, and Ignister's attack stopped abruptly - "…and equip it to **Alkahest**!" - Alkahest's armour changed colour from grey to bright red, as Ignister was absorbed into the core atop its staff.

"When **Alkahest** is equipped with a monster, he gains DEF equal to that monster's ATK!" - Ella said.

 **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest:** DEF 0 + 2850 = 2850

Daniel helplessly watched that entire sequence of events unfolding, and had no choice but to end his turn.

 **Turn 5 - Ella (LP - 4000 / Hand - 0 / Field - Monsters:** Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, Metalfoes Silverd, **Spells/Traps:** Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer, **Pendulum Zones:** Metalfoes Goldriver, Metalfoes Volflame **)**

"Let's get this over with!" - Ella said, not even looking at the card she drew, knowing that it's completely unimportant - "I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Goldriver** in my Pendulum Scale, destroy **Metalfoes Volflame** and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from my deck!"

Daniel knew what was coming, and tried to remain calm, despite the fury inside him, but he had another thing coming.

"Oh, by the way, when summoning a Metalfoes Fusion Monster, I can use anything equipped to **Alkahest** as Fusion Material."

Daniel now started to lose his cool as well, but managed to restrain himself for now.

"I activate the set **Metalfoes Fusion** , and fuse **Metalfoes Silverd** , **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest** , as well as **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer**! Merge, man and machine! Expurgate the evil from this dead world, and end everything your eyes touch! Rise, the ultimate killing machine, welded by the fires of death! Fusion Summon! **Metalfoes Crimsonite**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)" - a man with a strange blonde haircut was piloting a giant orange mech, completely exposed in the cockpit. Two large exhausts were on the machine's shoulders, and out of them came flames as bright as the two blades the robot wielded in its hands.

" **Metalfoes Crimsonite**!" - Ella exclaimed the monster's name, but then took a brief pause to look at Daniel, before continuing with the attack - "Attack **Igknight Paladin**!"

As the robot charged the helpless warrior, a barely noticeable tear rolled down Ella's right cheek. She briefly closed her eyes, and heard a large explosion, followed by an almost demonic scream. The duel was over.

 **Daniel:** LP 1400 - 1400 = 0

She wiped away the tear, which nobody noticed as they were all looking at her in shock, then ran over to Daniel, who was laying down on the ground. He started getting up when she came up to him, and pinned him down to the floor.

"What did you do to him?" - whatever sadness was inside Ella now disappeared. She pressed down on him even harder, as he started to struggle.

"What are you talking about?" - Daniel's voice got a bit quieter than previously, and sounded less demonic and more confused about what was going on. Ella wasn't backing down, but Sara and Jonas' combined strength managed to pull her off Daniel, allowing him to get up.

"Let me…" - Ella protested to no avail.

"No, I'm not letting you do anything!" - Sara said - "You need to explain yourself right about now!"

"What is there to explain? He took Ian! I just joined the duel to force him to explain what he did!"

Ella's explanation seemed to cause more confusion within the group. Daniel wanted to defend himself, but decided to stay quiet, and let others do the arguing for him.

"What are you on about?" - Hannah stepped forward.

"Also, who is Ian?" - Daniel dared to ask.

"Ian's my brother. He went missing yesterday morning. But you know that." - she told Daniel in a voice full of vitriol.

"We weren't even here yesterday morning!" - Daniel cried, but Hannah and Sara simultaneously signalled him to calm down.

"Why do you think Daniel took Ian?" - Sara asked.

"I have proof." - Ella said.

"Yeah, but what is it?" - Sara continued.

"He plays Igknights." - Ella said briefly, not explaining a whole lot, and Sara tilted her head slightly.

"You've lost me here." - Hannah said - "How does this make him guilty of something he didn't do?"

Ella didn't reply, and instead asked Daniel a question.

"How long have you had this deck for?"

"Ten years. Or something like that." - Daniel mumbled a reply.

"Yeah, like hell." - Ella said.

"I mean, I don't know how long he's had the deck for." - Sara joined the conversation again once her brain tried to stop processing all the information being thrown at it - "But I can guarantee that he's been playing Igknights for at least a couple of months now."

"No, not possible." - Ella kept being stubborn, realizing that everyone is turning against her.

"I witnessed him play Igknights with my very eyes, you can't just say I'm lying."

"Okay, so if you're telling the truth, tell me one thing." - Ella calmed down a bit. Everyone nodded, ready for the question.

"Why does he have Ian's deck?"

Everyone looked at her as if she was crazy. Daniel's expression didn't change at all, and he remained as confused as ever. Sara squinted her eyes and opened her mouth slightly, trying to somehow process what she just heard. Hannah's head twitched when she heard what Ella said, and Jonas and Carla looked at each other as if either of them knew the answer to Ella's question.

The sun finished setting, the cloud cover cleared, and the first stars appeared in the sky. The wasteland was shrouded in darkness.


	22. Whereabouts Unknown

**Chapter 22 - Whereabouts Unknown**

Daniel was the last person to enter the house, and almost forgot to close the door behind him, still confused about the exchange that took place just moments ago. The room was shrouded in darkness, as Ella took a few moments to find the light switch. Everyone was now inside the house, waiting for someone to speak up.

"What do you mean, he plays the same deck?" - Sara asked.

"Is that such a difficult sentence to comprehend?" - Ella said, sounding slightly patronizing - "Daniel plays Igknights. Ian plays Igknights. It's not nuclear physics."

"Yeah, but he's been playing Igknights for as long as I knew him." - Jonas said - "When did you say your brother went missing?"

"Early yesterday."

"Yeah, he didn't get that deck from him." - Hannah added.

"Then give me another explanation." - Ella persisted.

"Well, we are in completely different dimensions, right?" - Daniel finally spoke up - "So maybe your brother is my counterpart, since we play the same decks."

"That kind of makes sense, to be honest." - Jonas said.

"It doesn't though." - Carla joined the conversation, then threw herself onto the nearest couch, sinking into the pillows - "Daniel's the holder of one of the Dracoslayers. That's why Vector wants him. Now, if there was another Dracoslayer here, why would Vector be so hell-bent on getting Daniel specifically?"

"I don't know." - Jonas admitted - "But what other explanation is there?"

"Oh, I have no idea." - Carla said - "I'm just saying Daniel's theory doesn't make much sense."

"Well, glad we've figured out nothing." - Sara said.

"Wait, you said Vector wants the Dracoslayers?" - Ella asked, after a brief pause. Everyone nodded.

"And Daniel is one of them?" - everyone nodded again.

"Weren't you paying attention?" - Hannah asked.

"Not really." - Ella said, and Hannah sighed - "But, if Daniel's one of the Dracoslayers, and he plays the same deck Ian does, does that mean it's Vector who took Ian?"

"See, _that_ actually does make sense." - Carla said.

"But we still haven't figured out why they both have the same deck." - Jonas replied.

"Shush." - Carla pouted, and dug herself deeper into the couch.

* * *

A 15-year-old boy ran down the abandoned streets of a once bustling city. He wore a dark grey hoodie, which looked even darker than usual because it was covered in dust. He leaned against a pillar he stumbled upon, and was almost camouflaged against the dull background, as the only thing that stuck out was his bright red hair. He looked behind the pillar to see if the Fiends that were after him were still chasing him.

"I think I've lost them." - he turned his head ninety degrees, and realized he was essentially standing face to face with a Fiend - "Guess not."

"I don't know how you snuck out, but you're coming with me." - the Fiend said.

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged."

The boy quickly looked around, then walked back a few steps, almost tripping on the stairs that he stumbled upon. It was clear that he had no way out of this situation. The only thing he could do now is fight, so he activated the duel disk he had on his arm.

"Good thing that activated properly." - he thought - "It looked pretty battered when Niall gave it to me, so it's good that it's working."

He thought about Niall, and how lifeless his green eyes looked when he was brought to the room he was being kept in. He looked barely alive, and didn't even recognize the terrified 15-year-old boy as Ella's brother at first. Niall was being taken away somewhere, nobody was sure where, but before that gave Ian his duel disk, and managed to provide enough of a distraction, allowing him to escape. His train of thought stopped when the fiend opposite him followed suit in activating his duel disk, and the duel started.

 **Turn 1 - Fiend 028 (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll start us off!" - the Fiend said, and revealed a card in his hand - "I activate the effect of **Gishki Shadow** from my hand. By discarding it, I can add **Gishki Aquamirror** from my deck to my hand! And I'll activate it immediately!"

"Ritual monsters, huh?" - Ian was caught by surprise - "Haven't seen them in a while."

The Fiend briefly looked like he wanted to start ranting about how Rituals are completely underrepresented, and how nobody plays them, but restrained himself and continued with the turn.

"From my hand, I tribute **Gishki Noellia**." - he said, sending the card to the graveyard, then raised his right hand into the air, revealing a Level 4 Ritual Monster - "Ritual Summon, **Gishki Psychelone**! (WATER/Fiend/Level 4/ATK 2150/DEF 1650)" - what appeared looked like a human-fish hybrid. Her limbs and waist were heavily armoured, though not in any human-made material, but rather a thick organic shell, and she had a black lobster instead of a helmet. Her wings, hands and legs all had a gradient on them, starting with light blue, which gradually turned into burgundy, and then finally dark purple.

"I use **Gishki Psychelone** 's effect! I call a monster type and attribute, then look at a random card in your hand. If it's a monster with the declared type and attribute, back to the deck it goes."

"There's no way he can get this right."

"The card in the middle. FIRE, and Warrior." - the Fiend declared - "I got it right, didn't I?" - he said, noticing a sour look on his opponent's face, as he shuffled a card back into the deck.

"I'll set a monster." - a card appeared horizontally in front of the fiend, and right after it another one appeared vertically in his Spell and Trap Zone, as he ended his turn.

 **Turn 2 - Ian (LP - 4000 / Hand - 4 / Field - X)**

"Since you apparently already know what I'm playing, I won't bother waiting." - Ian said, drew a card to restore his hand size to five, then picked out two cards from his hand - "I activate the Scale 2 **Igknight Cavalier** and Scale 7 **Igknight Margrave** , and set the Pendulum Scale!" - two warriors, one pink and one red, appeared either side of him, encapsulated in two glowing pillars that shot up into the sky.

"I use the effect of **Igknight Cavalier** , destroy both cards in my Pendulum Scale, and add **Igknight Squire** from my deck to my hand, which I'll use with the Scale 2 **Igknight Crusader** to reset the Pendulum Scale!" - Ian looked done with searching, and declared a Pendulum Summon, and two Igknights appeared, both of which were in his Pendulum Zones a moment ago.

"I overlay my Level 5 **Igknight Cavalier** and **Igknight Margrave**! Xyz Summon, the defender of the seas! Rank 5, **Shark Fortress**! (DARK/Fish/Rank 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1800)" - a dark green mechanical shark appeared, with a giant hangar in place of a stomach, ready to launch any smaller ship into action, as well as several missiles towards the opponent's field.

"I detach an Xyz Material from **Shark Fortress** , allowing it to attack twice this turn." - one of the glowing orbs circling around Fortress got absorbed into its massive hangar, starting the missile launch procedures. After a few seconds, they were done, and a large rocket was fired towards Psychelone, destroying it on the spot.

 **Fiend 028:** LP 4000 - 250 = 3750

The second missile came not too long after the first, and targeted the set monster. Barely visible through the smoke created by the attack was a young girl with light blue hair going down to her knees, wearing black and beige clothes and a golden bangle around her left thigh.

"When **Gishki Ariel** is flipped face-up…" - the Fiend said when the smoke cleared - "I can add a Gishki monster from my deck to my hand."

The Fiend revealed the card he searched, but Ian wasn't paying attention. He set one card, and ended his turn.

 **Turn 3 - Fiend 028 (LP 3750 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"Draw!" - the Fiend declared, and looked at the cards in his hand, and smirked.

"I summon **Gishki Marker**! (WATER/Aqua/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - a brown humanoid octopus appeared, holding a staff with a mirror on top of it in its hands, and two curved swords with the tentacles that came out of its face.

"When **Marker** is summoned, I can add **Gishki Aquamirror** from my graveyard to my hand!" - his hand size increased from one to two - "And now I activate **Aquamirror Meditation**! By revealing **Gishki Aquamirror** in my hand, I can return two Gishki monsters from my graveyard to my hand! Come back, **Gishki Shadow** and **Gishki Ariel**!"

"I have a bad feeling about this." - Ian muttered.

"When I'm summoning a WATER Ritual, **Gishki Shadow** can be used as the entire tribute!"

"Yeah, this isn't going to end well."

"I activate **Gishki Aquamirror** , and tribute **Gishki Shadow**! Awaken from the deep, the deity of death! With your herculean might, crush your enemies to dust! Ritual Summon, **Gishki Zielgigas**! (WATER/Aqua/Level 10/ATK 3200/DEF 0)" - an insectoid demon materialized on the field, the size of an average house. Its dark grey body was covered by golden armour, which had a mirror embedded in the part covering its chest. Out of its shoulders burst two pairs of red horns, one larger and one smaller, and beneath them were two pairs of extremely muscular arms.

"I activate **Zielgigas** ' effect!" - the Fiend's voice got that slight bit deeper - "I pay 1000 life points, and draw a card!"

 **Fiend 028:** LP 3750 - 1000 = 2750

"And, since it is a Gishki monster…" - he continued, revealing Gishki Natalia in his hand - "I can shuffle one card from the field into the deck."

Zielgigas used two of its four hands to punch a hole in the ground, causing a shockwave large enough to cause Shark Fortress to fall apart.

"This is the end!" - the Fiend declared, assured of his victory as Ian's field was now empty - " **Gishki Zielgigas** , attack directly!"

Zielgigas ripped a hole in the earth once more, but this time the shockwave headed straight for Ian, causing a large dust cloud to rise where he once stood, and knocking him back, only for his fall to be stopped by the stairs behind him, resulting in an extremely painful landing.

 **Ian:** LP 4000 - 3200 = 800

He couldn't even stop to gather himself before Marker launched an attack on him, charging in the direction of the cloud of rubble in front of him. The Fiend was assured of his victory, so he waited for the dust to clear. When it did, instead of Ian laying down on the floor in defeat, a massive warrior, big enough to rival Zielgigas in size, stood on his field, much to the Fiend's shock. The giant wore armour made of lime green and black steel, holding a lance-launching bazooka in his right hand, and a single lance in the left, which was presumably used as ammunition for the gun.

"What is this?"

"I activated **Igknights Unite**." - Ian explained, just now managing to get back up on his feet - "I destroyed **Igknight Crusader** in my Pendulum Scale, and summoned **Igknight Champion** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2300) from my deck!"

Gishki Marker finally withdrew back onto its own side of the field, realizing that its attack was going nowhere, and the Fiend unwillingly ended his turn, displeased about the fact that the duel is continuing.

 **Turn 4 - Ian (LP 800 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Igknight Champion, **Pendulum Zones:** Igknight Squire **)**

"Draw!" - Ian declared - "So, shall we finish this?"

"How do you plan on doing that?" - the Fiend asked, convinced that the 3200 ATK Zielgigas was more than enough to hold off against any attack.

"You don't believe me, do you?" - Ian asked - "That I can beat you this turn."

"I'm skeptical."

"Well, let's just get to it then! I Normal Summon **Igknight Paladin**!" - Ian started.

"Ah, the classic 'summon a Level 4 Normal Monster' strategy. Is that all?" - the Fiend laughed.

"You know that's not all. I activate **Igknight Champion** 's effect! I return **Igknight Paladin** to the hand!"

"Oh, so you wasted your Normal Summon?"

"Using **Champion** 's effect…" - Ian ignored the Fiend's comments - "…I place **Gishki Zielgigas** on the bottom of the deck." - Champion used its gun to fire a lance towards the behemoth on the other side of the field, stabbing it right through the chest. The mirror on its armour shattered, followed by the rest of Zielgigas' body, as the once mighty sight turned into a pile of dust on the floor. The Fiend's expression changed suddenly, as his boss monster was now nowhere to be seen.

"Now, I'll activate **Igknight Paladin** from my hand to complete the Pendulum Scale! Then, from the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Crusader**! (FIRE/Warrior/Level 3/ATK 1600/DEF 300)"

"Wait..." - the Fiend muttered, as he finally managed to connect the dots, not only figuring out why Ian used his Normal Summon on Paladin, but also realizing that this'll lead to his defeat.

"Battle! **Igknight Crusader** , attack **Gishki Marker**!" - Crusader bravely charged the octopus on the other side of the field, and despite landing the first blow, Marker fought back, resulting in both monsters' mutual destruction.

"It would appear this next attack will end this duel." - Ian smiled. Of course, the Fiend already realized that a minute ago, and now turned his back on the duel and started running away. Champion launched another spear from his giant green gun, and while he missed the runner, he hit the ground right behind him with enough force to make the Fiend stop running and fall flat on his face.

 **Fiend 028:** LP 2750 - 2750 = 0

Ian quickly ran over to the Fiend, but didn't give him any time to recover from the fall. He raised his right foot, and kicked the Fiend in the back of the head. He then crouched, looked at the man's pale face, and slapped him a few times to make sure he was unconscious, and that he wouldn't continue the hunt for Ian. After dragging the Fiend's unconscious body into a location where it wouldn't be as visible, Ian ran away from the scene, still on the lookout for anyone chasing after him. Once he made sure the coast was clear, he started walking slower, reaching the outskirts of the city. He had no idea what city he was in, and how he even got here. He spent the best part of the previous day fleeing from the Fiends wherever he could. Lost in the wasteland, he attempted to point himself southwards so he could start heading towards the coast, but there was no good way to tell one cardinal direction from the other, so him and his mind were left wandering. At some point, he realized that his sister is probably going crazy right now, trying to find him however she can. How she would accomplish that, Ian didn't know, since he didn't even know where he was, but he knew that she'd sooner be found dead than not looking for her brother. That started annoying him recently, with how overprotective she seemed of him, but right now that seemed like a good thing.

There were a few scattered houses on the horizon, but none of them had their lights turned on, so Ian just walked past them. He had no idea what time it was, but it must have been at least a couple of hours past midnight now. A thick fog slowly started rolling in, and the wasteland got colder than it already was. Still occasionally looking out for threats, Ian couldn't see anyone or anything on the horizon, though soon it might become impossible for him to notice anything in the distance, as the fog got heavier and heavier. At some point, not too long after passing by those abandoned houses, he decided to turn around and head back in that direction. The silence of his stroll was only punctuated by his footsteps, and one particularly strong gust of wind. Through the mist appeared the first of the scattered houses. Ian quickly looked through the window to check if it was truly abandoned, and upon finding out it was empty, tried opening the door. The door was locked, but it gave in quite easily. Once inside the house, Ian briefly looked around the rooms to check if anyone was living here, but soon stumbled upon plenty of evidence to prove nobody was. The kitchen contained an open fridge that had a rotten bit of something in it, and absolutely nothing else, as it probably hadn't been plugged in for several years. The cupboards also looked like they had seen better days, completely empty and made out of rotten, damp wood. Opposite the kitchen was something that once might have been a living room, with a couch that looked like it was going to fall apart sooner rather than later, and two armchairs that were both knocked over. In front of them was a knocked over TV, surrounded by broken glass, and its placement in the middle of the room made it seem like it was some sort of centrepiece in the deranged museum that this room was. Right opposite the television, behind the fallen armchairs, was an antique grandfather clock, that had long since stopped working, and its hour hand was pointing to a two, while the minute hand was nowhere to be seen.

Once his brief tour of the downstairs area had ended, he rushed upstairs to see if any beds were available. Both bedrooms on the top floor were empty. One of them had a broken mirror on the wall, and a few pieces of broken glass on the table in front of it. It also had a bedsheet spread out on the floor, albeit without a bed. The other bedroom did have a bed in it, though with no mattress on it, and the entire frame rattled every time Ian dared to walk, so it didn't seem like a particularly comfortable resting place. He quickly checked the old closet in the room to make sure nobody was hiding in it for whatever reason, and then exited. The floorboards creaked as Ian walked to the room at the end of the hallway, which turned out to be the bathroom. In it was another mirror, this one surprisingly intact, as well as a rectangular shower, hidden by a shower curtain that was by some miracle still holding on. Wanting to make sure that nobody was hidden behind the curtain, Ian pulled it off in one swift hand motion, which caused the entire piece of fabric to fall to the floor with a faint thump, and create a small cloud of dust. Unsurprisingly, nothing was in the shower, except a lot of filth and a rusted drain.

Once he made sure the house was entirely empty, Ian tried to figure out where to rest. He passed by the bedroom with half a bed, and entered the bedroom without a bed. He quickly grabbed the single bedsheet that was in the room and dusted it off, then headed downstairs to the living room. At first, he attempted to place the sheet over the couch, but one of the cushions had a giant spring sticking out of it, so he threw it to the side. He walked over to one of the leftmost armchair, and without even bothering to make it sit straight up again, grabbed one of its cushions and threw it on the couch. It didn't particularly fit, but Ian didn't particularly care either. He threw the bedsheet loosely over the battered couch and didn't bother adjusting it any. He carefully swept away the pieces of broken glass that were closest to his makeshift bed, after he accidentally stepped on one of them and it made a terrifyingly loud breaking noise. Once his brief clean-up was over, he sat down on the couch, trying to be as quiet as possible, still paranoid about someone hearing him. After looking around one last time, he laid down on the miserable mess of a bed he made, and despite quite a lot of discomfort, fell asleep rather quickly.


	23. They Died by Their Own Hands

**Chapter 23 - They Died by Their Own Hands**

"Put your duel disk down." - Marco said - "I don't think that's a Fiend."

"How can you be sure?" - Francis asked, but never got an answer, as Marco immediately rushed through the door upon realizing who was approaching the house. Francis looked at him through the window, waving his arms frantically so the person wouldn't miss him. However, something gave in, and the mystery person collapsed before they could reach the house. Marco came back inside, and urged Francis to help.

"Come on, we have to get him in the house." - he said.

"Why?" - Francis asked, still not entirely convinced that wasn't a Fiend - "Who even is that?"

"I'll explain everything." - Marco said - "Just help me first."

Francis obliged for reasons he wasn't quite sure of. They walked over to the fallen man and picked him up, one by the legs and one by the arms. They were back in the house within a couple of minutes, and placed him on the largest couch in the living room, but his legs still dangled off one of the armrests.

"Now that I've brought a complete stranger to my house, would you care to explain who this is?" - Francis repeated his earlier question.

"That's Damien." - Marco looked over at the man wearing a trench coat, passed out on the sofa - "He came into this dimension the same time we did, and we kind of forgot about him."

"How can you just forget about someone? Especially if he's a friend?"

"That's the thing, he's not." - Marco sat down in the nearest armchair while Francis stood still next to the window, looking at Damien paranoically - "He's a bit… complicated. He kidnapped Carla, and then Hannah later on…"

Francis didn't even let Marco finish that sentence.

" _Kidnapped?_ And I let him into the house? Are you mental?"

"He seemed to have a change of heart later though." - Marco tried to defend Damien, which turned out to be quite a challenging task - "He didn't seem quite on board with Vector's plans when we last saw him."

"Wait, he was working with Vector?" - Francis asked, getting more worked up by the second.

"Yeah." - Marco nodded, but realized he was fighting an uphill battle - "Actually, now that I say that, it might not sound all that great."

"You're damn right it doesn't sound great." - Francis walked over to Marco, and stared directly at him- "He can stay in the house for now, but I'll be keeping a close eye on him."

Francis looked over his shoulder to check if Damien had woken up yet, then looked back at Marco.

"But if he does anything questionable, he's out." - he leaned in closer, and whispered - "And so are you."

"What do you mean?" - Marco asked, even though he understood exactly what Francis was saying - "Where would I go?"

"Not my problem. You're vouching for him, so if he does something suspicious, you're both out. Where you go after that, I don't care." - Francis finished his tirade, then stormed off to his room, leaving Marco alone with a passed-out man laying down on the couch.

Some time passed before Damien finally woke up. Francis was still nowhere to be seen, so Marco was happy that he'd finally get to talk to someone after a half an hour of loneliness.

"How did I get here?" - Damien asked.

"You collapsed in front of the house." - Marco answered - "We brought you in."

"Who's we?"

"Francis and I." - Marco said, then realized Damien has no idea who he's talking about - "He's up in his room. You'll probably get to meet him later."

Damien tried to look around the room he was in, but barely managed to lift his head before it fell back onto the headrest.

"Why are you so tired anyways?" - Marco asked - "The house we got teleported in isn't that far away from here."

"I went to the city first, thinking I'd find someone, and then I was ambushed by three men. I presume they were working for Vector since they knew who I was." - Damien said.

"They call them the Fiends here." - Marco briefly paused - "So, how did you even get away if there was three of them?"

"Well, they were just getting ready to teleport themselves, and me with them, before one of them got a message through his duel disk. Couldn't really make out what was said, but it sounded like they were chasing someone who was in the city. One of them signalled where the others should go and they just went away and seemingly forgot I was even there. Not that I'm complaining."

"It must've been urgent if they just left you alone like that."

After another short moment of silence, Francis came out of his room. He clearly noticed that Damien was wide awake because his first words upon exiting were directed at him.

"Are you working for Vector?" - he asked.

"Good day to you too." - Damien said.

"Just answer his question, please." - Marco tried desperately to stop an argument from breaking out.

"No. I'm not working for Vector. Not anymore at least."

"What do you mean by not anymore?"

"Exactly what you think I mean. I used to work for him because I needed some money. But eventually I just grew tired of his crap. He never even told me what he was doing, I just couldn't stand him anymore."

"Good, we're on the same page then." - Francis said, still not entirely convinced about Damien, but willing to be more lenient.

"What _does_ he want to do anyways?"

"We don't know either." - Marco said - "He wants the Dracoslayers for whatever god damn reason."

"Yeah, I knew that much. But why?"

"We know as much as you do." - Francis said - "But they set off to find Vector a few hours ago."

"I've been meaning to ask where everyone else is." - Damien said - "Why do they want to find Vector?"

"Long story." - Marco and Francis said in unison. Another pause ensued, during which Francis quickly stopped by the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" - Damien asked when Francis came back into the room.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it doesn't look like there's much to do here."

"No, there isn't. We're just here to keep the house safe." - Francis said.

"Well, that's a bit boring." - Damien said.

"If you think it's boring, feel free to go back outside."

"Actually, I'd rather not."

"My point exactly." - Francis finished, and went back up to his room.

"He seems a bit nervy." - Damien said, once the door to Francis' room was firmly shut.

"Yeah, just being associated with Vector will give you a bad name here." - Marco said.

"I guess so." - Damien said. He felt himself fading again, so he put his head back down on the couch.

Marco got out of his armchair and looked around the room, which now looked lifeless despite being filled with people maybe five or six hours ago. He heard Francis quietly talking to himself upstairs, but paid no attention to it. He then briefly looked at Damien, who was already fast asleep, and then adjusted his armchair so it would face the window. He sat back down in it, and looked at the empty wasteland upon which the sun slowly set. He didn't feel particularly tired, so he spent the evening looking through the window. There was not a single living thing on the horizon.

Up in his room, Francis was getting ready to call it a day.

"I'm still not sure about Damien." - he told the empty room, then realized that he was talking to himself, but continued regardless.

"But whatever, Marco seems convinced enough that he's not Vector's pawn. And he doesn't really come off as a Fiend."

"And in the end, what choice do I have? It's not like I can do much about it." - he said, pacing back and forth. He stopped in the middle of the room, as if he experienced a sudden revelation.

"Or I could just kick them both out."

He stood still for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling, then shook his head.

"No. That wouldn't accomplish anything." - he whispered, then remembered that he was getting ready to go to sleep before he went off on a tangent. He closed the curtains on both the windows in the room, shrouding it in complete darkness, and threw himself onto the bed.

* * *

Hannah stared up into the dull grey sky for a minute or two. She stared at the cloudless emptiness for about a minute. She had a sudden urge to move forward, but she fell to the ground as soon as she started walking forward. The fall didn't hurt. In fact, it was almost pleasant. The ground was made out of a weird, undefined, soft matter. She laid down on the floor for a few seconds, before swiftly getting back up on her feet. She looked at her surroundings. There was nothing in the distance, as the ground spread towards infinity on all sides. Everyone was dead.

Right ahead of her, Daniel's body was peacefully laid down on the floor. There was no blood, no visible signs that he was dead. But he was dead. Hannah looked to Daniel's right. Next to him laid Carla, completely pale, her once bright blue eyes showing no signs of life, with her right arm on her chest and the other next to her body. She was dead as well. Hannah turned even further right, but couldn't recognize the last of the three people who were lying lifeless in front of her. Unlike the last two, this person's body was face-down, and draped in a black cloth. She had no urge to approach the corpse to find out who it is, so their identity remained a mystery.

"What happened here?" - she whispered quietly.

"They died." - a distinctly female voice replied, her voice echoing through the endless void. The voice's owner was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, I can see that." - Hannah said, not questioning where the ethereal voice was coming from, accepting its existence as fact - "But who killed them?"

"They died by their own hands."

"What do you mean?"

The disembodied voice repeated its earlier words in reply, refusing to answer Hannah's question. The endless cycle repeated: every time she asked something, the disembodied voice refused to humour her with a reply, and just repeated the same phrase over and over again, endlessly.

"They died by their own hands."

The voice stopped repeating the phrase for just a single moment, to say its last words.

"And so will you."

Hannah woke up.

The room was unusually cold. She couldn't tell the exact time, but it was early morning. The bed opposite hers was empty. Ella was supposed to be sleeping in it, but it looked untouched.

Downstairs in the living room were Ella and Daniel. The former sat in the armchair facing the stairs, so she could keep track of everyone exiting their rooms. The latter was standing and looking through the window. The room was filled with dead silence. Daniel turned around at the sound of a door being closed, and saw Hannah leaving her room, but her presence didn't exactly liven up the atmosphere. The stairs quietly squeaked as she walked down them, and headed straight for the kitchen without saying a word, and came out of it with a tiny glass of water.

"We should start waking the others up." - Ella said.

"How early is it?" - Hannah asked, and Daniel turned back towards the window just as she looked at him, trying to forget her earlier dream as soon as she could.

"Not early enough." - Ella replied - "We have no time to waste."

"Give them some more time." - Hannah said - "I doubt most of them could even properly function this early in the morning."

Just to prove her wrong, Jonas came out of his room as she was saying that. Over the next half an hour, everyone bar one person was awake. Agitated by the waiting, Ella went up to Carla's room to wake her up. Upon entering, she saw that Carla was awake, but still lying in bed.

"Why are you still in bed?" - she asked.

"It's so cold."

"Stop whinging and get up. We're all waiting for you." - Ella commanded, and exited the room. Carla sighed and complied. Once she was up and awake, she went downstairs to see everyone was waiting for her, some eager to go, others less so. With minimal protests, they set off not ten minutes after, and were once again on their way towards Vector's whereabouts.

"So, how far away do you think we are?" - Hannah asked.

"Let me check." - Ella opened up the map on her duel disk, before coming to a sudden realization - "Wait, the coordinates aren't there anymore. Why aren't they there?"

"Because the person you dueled last isn't a Fiend, you idiot." - Sara said - "It's Daniel, so the coordinates were lost."

"Oh…"

"So, what now?" - Hannah asked.

"Luckily for you, I'm really clever and brilliant." - Sara joked - "So I remembered to write down the coordinates."

Ella didn't comment, and instead just looked at the piece of paper with some numbers on it, which she promptly input into her duel disk. Once that was done, she pointed in a direction the map said was northwest.

"We have to go that way." - she said - "Unless Sara gave me the wrong coordinates."

"I haven't." - Sara mumbled.

"Well, I don't know, you might be trying to mislead us." - Ella said.

"Why would I be doing that?"

"Maybe you have some motives we don't know about."

"Yeah, and we all know how much sense your theories make." - Sara said, but was interrupted by Carla before she could go off on a tangent.

"That way." - she got in between the two, and pointed in the same direction Ella did a moment ago - "Stop bickering and go."

Both of them refused to comply, so Carla just walked in between them and set off all by herself, letting the two argue, figuring they'll catch up later. Jonas followed her, while Daniel and Hannah were too amused by the meaningless altercation that broke out to even notice that she walked off. She stopped walking when she realized nobody but Jonas was following her, and just out of earshot.

"What's going on with you?" - Jonas asked once he finally caught up with her.

"We have to hurry and they're just wasting time, arguing." - she said without any conviction in her voice.

Jonas didn't believe what she was saying, but he let her continue.

"I mean, Ella's in a hurry to save her brother or whoever, and she's just wasting time." - Carla repeated herself.

"It's not really that, is it?" - Jonas said as soon as she finished rambling.

"No, it's not." - Carla mumbled, but didn't say anything else.

"Let's go." - Ella stormed past the two of them, quite clearly done arguing with Sara, ruining the moment.

"You go right ahead." - Jonas refused to follow her - "We'll catch up."

Ella looked at him with a mildly confused expression on her face, but didn't think too much about it, and kept on walking. Hannah ran forward a few steps to catch up with her, while Daniel and Sara hung back a bit. Carla and Jonas were left alone.

"There's something you never got around to asking me." - Jonas pointed out the obvious - "So, go on then."

"Is this really the best time and place to do this?"

"It's not, but how much do you plan on delaying this? You've already wasted two good opportunities."

"Do you know…" - Carla started a sentence, but couldn't finish it the first time round - "Do you know what I want to ask you?"

"Of course I do." - Jonas said calmly - "I just want to hear you actually say it."

"Do you…" - her voice faded before she could finish the sentence. She looked over her shoulder to see where everyone else is. They were all standing still, waiting for Jonas and Carla. Hannah and Daniel were looking directly at them, waiting for something to happen, while Ella and Sara were keeping an eye on the horizon. Carla then looked back at Jonas, who was still eagerly waiting for her to ask the question. She said nothing. She just stumbled forward half a step and kissed him. Nobody realized what happened as the next few seconds passed in a flash. It felt completely unremarkable, yet somehow special at the same time. When the moment passed, both of them took a step back, surprised at what just happened.

Hannah let out an audible squeak. Sara turned around to check why, and was faced with Hannah grinning as wide as humanly possible, while Daniel had a subtle smirk on his face.

"What happened?" - Sara asked. Hannah pointed towards Jonas and Carla, but the moment had already passed, so Sara was left confused.

"I don't get it." - she said, but Hannah was too busy smiling like an idiot to reply, while Daniel preferred to remain silent. Jonas and Carla stared at each other for a few seconds.

"We should catch up with the others." - Jonas managed to mumble. Carla was still in too much shock to reply, but acknowledged what he was saying, and they made their way over to the main group.

"We're not that far away according to the coordinates, we should really get going." - Ella said, still keeping an eye on the horizon, unaware of what was happening behind her. She received no reply, but when she turned around, Jonas and Carla joined the group, so she figured they were good to go.

"What the hell happened back there?" - Sara asked again as they started walking again. Nobody was yet composed enough to reply.


	24. Victory

**Chapter 24 - Victory**

"You know, it's been awfully quiet lately." - Hannah mentioned.

"What do you mean?" - Sara asked - "It's always quiet here."

"I mean, we've been walking for four and a bit hours now, and we haven't run into any Fiends." - Hannah explained.

"Maybe they've finally given up." - Ella said, then muttered "as if" under her breath.

Behind them, Jonas and Carla were keeping an eye on where they were going, and also occasionally glancing at each other. They hadn't spoken in half an hour, but neither felt like words were at all necessary. Five or so minutes after someone last spoke, one of their candid moments was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream, echoing through the air, as Daniel collapsed onto the floor. Everyone turned to face him, as he sat on his knees, curled up into a ball, and didn't move for half a minute, weeping. They looked at him in confusion, not knowing what to do. Hannah tried placing her hand on his shoulder to try and check if he's ok, but as soon as she touched him, he looked towards the sky and let out another violent scream, causing Hannah to jump back in shock. After this, Daniel just curled up into a ball again, loudly breathing as if he's running out of air.

"What the hell happened?" - Sara was the first to bring up the question.

"I don't know!" - Hannah screamed, still visibly shaken by what happened, then started slowly backing away from Daniel. Once she was a significant distance away, she sat down on the floor and tried to compose herself.

"We were just walking, and suddenly he just stopped, screamed, and collapsed to the floor." - Jonas attempted to make some sense of what just happened, but didn't explain a great deal.

"So, what do we do now?" - Ella asked.

"I don't know, I've never faced a demon before!" - Jonas said, and his voice cracked slightly by the end of the sentence.

"Don't be ridiculous!" - Sara said - "He's not a demon!"

"Yes, he is!" - Hannah said in the background, barely audible.

"I mean, he's probably not." - Jonas said once he slightly calmed down - "But how else would you explain this?"

"Well, he might just be..." - Sara started, but realized the sentence was going nowhere as she didn't have a reasonable explanation for what was happening.

"Insane?" - Hannah once again butted in from the background.

"Hannah, you're not helping." - Carla said.

"I know." - she mumbled, still sitting down on the floor.

They spent the next five minutes in complete silence. Nobody said anything, nor did Daniel scream again, and his breathing even got quieter. He slowly raised his head, and looked at everyone around him. He got back up on his feet.

"Are you okay?" - Jonas asked.

"Duel me." - Daniel looked him straight in the eyes. His voice didn't sound like it belonged to a human.

* * *

It was an hour past noon. Vector calmly sat in the middle of a giant room. One of his screens turned red, which was a reasonably common occurence. He lazily got out of his chair, its squeak causing an echo through the massive hall. He walked towards the screen, in no rush whatsoever. Suddenly, and with good reason, a man burst through the door behind him.

"Sir, it's happening sooner than we thought!" - he said with great urgency.

Vector continued walking towards the screen. At this point, he finally realized why it had turned red. His eyes widened.

"I can see that." - Vector tried to keep calm - "Now leave. I'll inform you of the necessary steps when I think about them." - he told the man, and the door to the hall closed. Immediately after the man left, he walked back towards his chair. Instead of sitting back in it, he grabbed it, and threw it across the room. It flew through the air, then came to a stop and slid on the floor before coming to a stop near the stairs, surprisingly still intact.

"WHY NOW?" - he screamed - "It shouldn't have happened this early!"

He took in a deep breath, and tried to comprehend why this is happening.

"I had a few weeks left before they started arriving! _Why_ has this happened so early!?"

A Fiend burst into the room, as he obviously heard Vector's monologues and wanted to see what was happening. He didn't stay for long though, as Vector shouted at him to go away as soon as the doors opened.

"He must have summoned Ignister too many times! That's the only explanation!" - Vector covered half of his face with his left hand, then slowly ran down it, his fingernails squeezing against his skin as hard as possible, leaving visible red streaks across his left cheek.

"IDIOT!" - he screamed - "All I wanted to do was prevent this, but no!" - his voice turned into a growl.

"There is no choice now. I have to make sure this doesn't happen to the other two." - he ran over to the central desk, and pressed one of its many buttons.

"Code Red. The arrival has started." - he said, trying to appear calm, and trying not to cause panic that he was obviously feeling - "All Dracofiends active. Make sure we get hold of the other two Dracoslayers at any cost! We can't let this happen to either of them!"

A brief "affirm" came over the speaker before the room was consumed by silence. Vector walked over to his chair, and kicked it back towards the centre of the room, where it roughly stopped. He sat back down in his chair, and no longer seemed nervous. He touched his left cheek, still filled with scratches from his earlier episode. With the one eye that wasn't covered by his hand, he looked through one of the hall's massive windows.

"It starts." - Vector said. The room fell completely silent, and other than a few scratches on the floor caused by a sliding chair, generally didn't look like someone in it had a breakdown not minutes earlier.

* * *

"What?" - Jonas looked at Daniel, as if the latter's requests for a duel were somehow misinterpreted.

"Duel me." - Daniel growled again, and raised his duel disk. Jonas had no choice but to oblige, because it didn't look like Daniel was going to become himself any time soon. Carla, Sara and Ella watched on, while Hannah was still keeping her distance, terrified of what was happening. Jonas readied his duel disk.

"Don't do it." - Carla pleaded.

"Why not?" - Jonas looked at her - "Daniel's not himself, and we clearly don't know what to do. Maybe if I listen to his request, something will happen.

" _Something_ will happen." - Ella sighed - "Glad you have a plan."

"What, do you have a better idea, then?" - Jonas said with slight annoyance in his voice, and Ella shrugged - "Besides, I might have a theory, and I want to find out how wrong it is. If at all." - Jonas thought.

He activated his duel disk, and the duel began.

 **Turn 1 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"The first turn is yours." - Daniel said.

"I know!" - Jonas replied.

"Well, stop stalling then!"

"I wasn't." - Jonas activated a spell from his hand to start his turn, and the duel, off.

"I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Caribou**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 2000)" - a bright purple fire-engulfed caribou jauntily sprinted around a large muscular man, covered by black and golden armour everywhere but his arms, wearing a helmet which had horns on it, much like those of a deer. Behind him appeared a bright red fireball, as Jonas continued his turn.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tensu** , which allows me to summon an additional Beast-Warrior monster per turn. Appear, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1400)" - a large rounded man appared, covered in black and golden armour much like his comrade, and wearing a large red piece of fabric around his waist in place of a belt. To his left stood a large purple hog.

"Next, I tune my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** with the Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Caribou**! Shine, star of strength! Descend, oh jade general, lead the empyreal spirits towards their untimely demise, and sow despair upon this battlefield! Synchro Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 8/ATK 2000/DEF 2800)" - unlike all the other Fire Fists, this man did not wear heavy armour, and instead decided to shroud himself in jade robes. Out of the top of his staff appeared a pitch-black unicorn, the same colour as his beard.

"When **Kirin** is Synchro Summoned, I can set a Fire Formation from my deck, and when **Caribou** is sent to the graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a Fire Fist monster, I can set a Fire Formation Spell from my deck! Did you catch all that?" - Kirin raised his staff into the air, and out of it came two fireballs, one bright orange, and one a gleaming shade of turquoise - "I set **Fire Formation - Tenki** and **Fire Formation - Tenken** from my deck!"

Daniel didn't reply. He continued blankly staring at Jonas.

"Next, I activate my set **Fire Formation - Tenki**!" - he continued - "And add **Coach Soldier Wolfbark** from my deck to my hand."

Daniel's eyes didn't move off Jonas' field, making the latter slightly nervous. He quickly explained how each Fire Formation boosts Beast-Warrior monsters by 100 ATK, just for posterity, and ended his turn.

 **Turn 2 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"My turn." - Daniel stated, still sounding as non-human as he did five minutes prior - "Using the Scale 2 **Igknight Paladin** and Scale 7 **Igknight Templar** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - two Igknights, a purple and a bronze one, appeared either side of him.

"Here we go then." - Jonas thought - "Let's see if he does what I want him to."

"I use the effect of **Igknight Paladin** , destroying both cards in my Pendulum Scales, then add **Igknight Margrave** from the deck to my hand." - he declared, and Jonas nodded, as if everything was going to plan. He placed Margrave and Cavalier in his scales, and repeated the whole process again.

"I add the Scale 2 **Igknight Gallant** from my deck to my hand! Then, using it and the Scale 7 **Igknight Veteran** , I set the Pendulum Scale once more! Now, from the Extra Deck, I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Paladin** , **Igknight Templar** , **Igknight Margrave** and **Igknight Cavalier**!" - his field went from zero to four monsters, as they all individually descended from a hole in the sky.

"Wait, where's **Luster**?" - Jonas thought, and squinted. Things weren't going to plan anymore.

"I overlay my Level 5 **Igknight Margrave** and **Igknight Cavalier**! Xyz Summon, the guardian of your demise! Rank 5, **Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon**! (DARK/Fiend/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 1700)" - a literal demon appeared. His face was entirely white, as were his teeth, revealed by a devilish grin beneath the mask he was wearing. Visible through the mask was a pair of eyes that were glowing bright red, much like the dagger he was holding in his right hand. His long pitch-black hair seemed to defy gravity, and a few stray charcoal coloured feathers came off his wings, as they across the entire field, as if they were trying to shelter the two remaining Igknights.

"I use **Adreus** ' effect! By detaching one Xyz Material, I can destroy **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**!" - Adreus consumed one of its materials into its glowing dagger, then charged towards Kirin, only to be intercepted by a flaming turquoise wall.

"I activate **Fire Formation - Tenken**!" - Jonas said - "During this phase, **Kirin** 's effects are negated, but it's unaffected by all card effects, other than **Tenken** 's! And on top of that, it also gives all Beast-Warriors an extra 300 ATK!

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin:** ATK 2000 + 300 = 2300

"Guess we'll just have to do this the hard way!" - Daniel didn't seem particularly fazed by Jonas' interruptions - "I overlay my Level 4 **Igknight Paladin** and **Igknight Templar**! May the light of the winter moon shine upon your mighty blade, and as you raise it to the heavens, may your enemies pray that your justice will be swift! Xyz Summon, Rank 4, **Heroic Champion - Excalibur**! (LIGHT/Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000)" - a thin steel blade with a golden hilt shaped like a phoenix descended from the sky, and settled in the hands of a warrior in dark red armour.

"I use **Excalibur** 's effect! By detaching two materials, its ATK becomes 4000!"

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 2000 + 2000 = 4000

"Battle Phase!" - Daniel declared.

"With this, **Tenken** 's effect wears off, and **Kirin** gets his ATK and effect back! And with that, all monsters you control lose 300 ATK for each face-up Spell and Trap I control!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin:** ATK 2300 + 200 = 2500

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 4000 - 300 = 3700

 **Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon:** ATK 2600 - 300 = 2300

"What is that but a minor setback!?" - Daniel said - " **Excalibur** , attack **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**!" - the hero swung its massive sword, and sliced Kirin clean in half, causing its black flaming unicorn to evaporate.

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 1200 = 2800

Now that Kirin's effect wore off, there was no ATK reduction to speak of, and Daniel was free to attack Jonas directly.

 **Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon:** ATK 2300 + 300 = 2600

" **Adreus** , attack!" - the demon spread his wings, and flew towards Jonas' empty field, stabbing him in the stomach with his glowing red dagger. Jonas collapsed to the floor, and Daniel looked over his half-conscious body, and ended his turn.

 **Jonas:** LP 2800 - 2600 = 200

"Get up, you have a turn to take." - Daniel grinned, and Jonas somehow managed to.

"Jonas!" - Carla started running towards him, but stopped as soon as he managed to get up.

"Stay out of this!" - Jonas shouted, causing Carla to shudder - "I know what I'm doing."

"Really? Because you definitely don't look like it." - Ella took a jab at him.

" _Quiet!_ " - Jonas screamed, fully up on his feet - "My turn!"

 **Turn 3 - Jonas (LP - 200 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tensu, Fire Formation - Tenki, Fire Formation - Tenken **)**

Jonas drew a card, but didn't even look at it, and immediately started his turn.

"I Normal Summon **Coach Soldier Wolfbark** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200), and by using the effect of **Tensu** , I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 400) as well!" - two monsters appeared: one grey wolf standing on its hind legs, and one man surrounded by nine flaming dragon heads.

"I use the effect of **Coach Soldier Wolfbark** , and bring back **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** from the graveyard!" - the plump man and his trusty flaming pig appeared on the field once again.

"Not done yet!" - Jonas pointed towards Dragon - "I use his effect as well! I send **Fire Formations - Tenki** and **Tensu** from the field to the graveyard, and Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin** back from the dead!" - the man in jade clothing appeared once more, but Jonas wasn't anywhere close to done.

"Next, I tune my Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** with the Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon**! Ascend once more, jade general! Synchro Summon, Level 8! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 8/ATK 2000/DEF 2800)" - another black-bearded man appeared on the field.

"Since **Kirin** was Synchro Summoned, I set another **Fire Formation - Tenki** from my deck!" - Jonas continued, almost out of breath - "I activate it, and add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino** from my deck to my hand!"

"So, is your plan to get the ATK of my monsters low enough using **Kirin**?" - Daniel asked - "Because it's not working."

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 4000 - 400 = 3600

 **Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon:** ATK 2600 - 400 = 2200

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin (x2):** ATK 2000 + 400 = 2400

"You would be quite wrong." - Jonas said - "And here's why! I activate **Cattle Call**!"

"I don't remember that card!" - Daniel said, and Coach Soldier Wolfbark simultaneously disappeared off the field.

"Pay more attention then, because you're about to find out what it does." - Jonas looked at him, and briefly paused before continuing - " **Cattle Call** allows me to tribute a Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged Beast monster, and summon a monster of the same type from my Extra Deck!"

"You can't just summon monsters from the Extra Deck with that little effort!" - Sara said. Jonas looked back at her as if he wanted to say "you're supposed to be rooting for me here".

"I tribute **Coach Soldier Wolfbark** , and from the Extra Deck, Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**!" - the trio of Kirins was now completed - "But of course, it comes with a price. The summoned monster's effects are negated, it cannot attack, and it's destroyed during the end of this turn."

"So, what's the point?" - Daniel said.

"I'm glad you asked!" - Jonas smirked - "I overlay my two Level 8 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**! Descend, dragon tamer, and sacred knight of the eight stars! Xyz Summon, Rank 8! **Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Rank 8/ATK 2800/DEF 1800)" - a knight appeared, wearing golden and white armour, with dark highlights. His large cape fluttered behind him like the wings of a dragon. The top part of its curved sword had eight stars embedded in it, matching its rank.

"I use **Felgrand** 's effect! By detaching one material, I can negate the effects of one monster on the field!" - Felgrand raised his sword, and one by one, the eight stars lit up - "I negate **Excalibur** 's effect!"

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 3800 - 2000 = 1800

" **Felgrand** also makes the monster unaffected by all other card effects for the turn, which means that Kirin's ATK reduction no longer works." - Daniel said.

 **Heroic Champion - Excalibur:** ATK 1800 + 200 = 2000

"Yeah, but its ATK isn't as high as it was, that's the point." - Jonas said - "You know what, just enter the Battle Phase already."

Jonas snapped his finger, and at a moment's notice Kirin raised his staff, sending forth an army of black unicorns towards Excalibur.

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 400 = 3600

"Now, **Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand** , attack **Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon**!" - Felgrand returned the favour from earlier, and used his massive sword to stab Adreus through the chest, making him dissolve into a pile of ashes on the floor, about to be blown away by the wind any second.

 **Daniel:** LP 3600 - 400 = 3200

"I set one card!" - Jonas said once the battle ended.

"Is that all?" - Daniel asked.

"That's all I need." - Jonas replied - "It's your turn."

 **Turn 4 - Daniel (LP 3200 / Hand - 2 / Field - Pendulum Zones:** Igknight Gallant, Igknight Veteran **)**

"Time to end this!" - Daniel didn't hesitate for a second - "I Pendulum Summon **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**! (LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 0)"

"There he is!" - Jonas thought - "Why did he only Pendulum Summon one monster though?"

"Next, I activate **Igknights Unite** , and destroy **Igknight Gallant** in my Pendulum Scale!"

"I don't remember this card." - Jonas mumbled just loud enough for Ella to hear him.

"It summons an Igknight from the deck." - she explained.

"That it does!" - Daniel said - "I Special Summon **Igknight Templar** from my deck!"

"Here it comes!" - Jonas thought, almost getting ahead of himself in activating his set card.

"I tune my Level 4 **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** and Level 4 **Igknight Templar**! The bond of the Igknights and the might of the Dracoslayers combine to create the ultimate destruction deity! Consume the souls of the fallen, ascend from the ashes of Armageddon, and crush the infidel that dares roam this world! Synchro Summon, **Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer**! (FIRE/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2850/DEF 0)" - the grand red dragon materialized behind him in a black mist, before flying up into the air and descending onto the field - "It's over, Jonas!"

"Not quite!" - Jonas said after a small pause, surprised that Daniel addressed him by name - "I activate **Torrential Tribute** , and destroy all monsters on the field!"

The ground started shaking, and a giant blast of water came out of the ground beneath Ignister and consumed the dragon. The same thing started happening beneath Jonas' two monsters.

"I use **Felgrand** 's effect! By detaching one Xyz Material, it's unaffected by all card effects this turn." - Felgrand raised his sword, and stood tall, as Kirin next to him was consumed by a giant wave. Only he remained on the field.

"Now let's see…" - Jonas couldn't even finish his thought, before Daniel screamed to the sky one last time, and collapsed onto the ground, ending the duel. Jonas immediately ran over to him, and turned him onto his back.

"He's passed out. We should give him some time to see if he goes back to normal." - Jonas said, but his words practically didn't register in Carla's mind.

"Guys…" - she said.

Jonas looked at her, and she answered the question he didn't get around to asking by pointing to the place where Hannah once sat.

"Where's Hannah gone?"


	25. Throes of the Wanderer

**Chapter 25 - Throes of the Wanderer  
**

Hannah was woken up by someone knocking on the door of the room she was in, followed by a male voice quietly stating that they "don't think she's awake yet". Her first instinct was to ask the person standing at the door, whoever they were, where she was and why she was there, but she changed her mind, so they wouldn't find out she was awake. She got out of bed as quietly as possible, tiptoed to the door, and looked through the keyhole. She saw a man in a long black cape walking away from her room, down along hallway and into the darkness. She got down on her knees, and peeked beneath the door to check if anyone was standing there, but the hall was empty. Knowing that the coast was clear, she got back up on her feet.

The room she was in didn't look homely, like it wasn't originally intended to be used for that purpose. It all looked quite sterile, from the plain white walls lined with empty glass cabinets and the tiled floor, to the large table to the left of the room that seemingly served no purpose. Amidst all this, the crudely placed bed she had been laying on stood out like a sore thumb. Hannah headed for the balcony. Her makeshift room was on the third floor of the building she was in, so she immediately discounted the balcony as a means of escape. She leaned over the railing.

"Yeah, that'd probably kill me." - she thought - "Might be preferable to being captured again though."

She walked back into the room, and headed for the door. She tried opening it, but it was unsurprisingly locked, so she looked around the room to see if there was anything that could help her break out. But it was mostly empty, barring the bed and the table, which were too heavy to lift anyways. After half a minute of looking around the room for anything that might have been left, she became frustrated and simply charged at the wooden door. It opened. She looked down the hallway she was now facing, and squinted slightly, surprised at the ease with which the door opened.

"You need better locks." - she said as she stepped out into the hallway, looking around to check if anyone's been keeping an eye on her escapades. The noise the door made when opened was still faintly echoing off the walls, but wasn't loud enough to alert anyone that Hannah had escaped.

"And now I have to find my way out of here. Somehow."

She looked down the three corridors she could go down. All of them were exactly identical: extremely tall hallways with doors to various rooms lining the walls. She decided to start walking left. She had no particularly good reason for the decision, as all three halls looked equally menacing. She kept as quiet as possible while walking so as to not get spotted, though it seemed like an inevitability at this point. She spent the next few minutes wandering around the endless halls. The endless stream of doors and tiles repeated ad infinitum, and she slowly started losing track of time. About ten minutes had passed, and she still didn't run into anyone, much to her surprise.

"I'm probably going in circles." - she thought.

After a further minute or two of walking, she heard faint footsteps ahead of her. Hannah panicked, and without thinking, entered the nearest room, and hid behind the already open door. The room she hid in was spacious and grand, as well as completely empty, though she didn't look around it too much, focusing on not making a sound, as two men walked past her, the sound of their footsteps bouncing off the walls, as they slowly disappeared down the hallway. Just as she was about to step out of cover, she heard someone else walking, so she stayed hidden. The footsteps got closer. A man wearing a black cape entered the room, and someone walking behind him closed the door. Hannah was left with no escape. She stood around for a minute, hoping that the man would just never turn around, which he inevitably did. She was face to face with Vector.

"How did you get out?" - he asked once he realized she shouldn't be here.

"The door wasn't locked properly." - Hannah replied after initial hesitance.

"How'd that happen?" - Vector asked, but shrugged when he didn't receive a reply - "Anyways, why are you here?"

"I feel like I should be the one asking that question." - Hannah said.

"Oh, right. Come down here, and I'll explain everything." - Vector urged her to come down from the top of the stairs, but she refused.

"Look, I mean you no harm…" - Vector tried to reassure Hannah, but she interrupted him.

"Look, you've kidnapped me twice already, so excuse me if I don't believe you on that."

"I need your help." - Vector said in quieter tone of voice than usual, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"I don't care." - Hannah said, and activated her duel disk.

"Oh, so it's going to be like that." - Vector said with clear disappointment in his tone of voice, and went to grab his duel disk - "Just for your information, **Luster** and **Majester** have been taken away from you."

"Why do you even want those cards?" - Hannah asked.

"You see, I _was_ going to explain that." - Vector replied, then activated his duel disk, therefore starting the duel - "But since you weren't willing to listen, I guess we're dueling."

 **Turn 1 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Okay, here's the deal." - Vector said, looking at his hand - "I win, and you listen to what I have to say. You win, and I'll make sure you get back to your friends safe and sound."

"So, all I have to do is beat you?" - Hannah asked. Vector nodded.

"You make it sound so easy." - he said.

"He seems awfully confident. Just what does he play?" - Hannah thought - "Guess I'm about to find out."

"Using the Scale 3 **Amorphage Sloth** and Scale 5 **Amorphage Lechery** , I set the Pendulum Scales!" - to Vector's right appeared an olive-coloured dragon, which looked normal up until you noticed the head of a bear seemingly growing out of its chest, its face stuck in a constant roar. To his right was a smaller red dragon, which had the claws of a scorpion coming out of its chest, and its tail was accompanied by a scorpion's stinger.

"From my hand, I Pendulum Summon **Amorphage Greed**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 1950)" - another dragon appeared, this one brown. Unlike the last two, the animal it was combined with was more prominent, as the dragon's back was combined with that of a hedgehog. On the monster's forehead, between its horns, was a dead hedgehog's face, placed right above the dragon's rabid red eyes.

"Next, I activate **Amorphage Infection** , which gives all Amorphage monsters an extra 100 ATK and DEF for each Amorphage card I control!"

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 1950 + 400 = 2350

"Does it do anything else?" - Hannah asked.

"You'll find out in due time." - Vector said, and ended his turn.

 **Turn 2 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Looking at this field, you'd think that he'd be pretty easy to beat." - Hannah told herself - "But there's got to be something else to his monsters."

"Oh, before you start playing, or at least try to, I'll run you through a few effects." - Vector said.

"Yeah, there it is." - Hannah thought.

"First of all, since **Amorphage Greed** was Pendulum Summoned, neither one of us can summon monsters from the extra deck, except Amorphage monsters. Then, since I control an Amorphage monster, **Amorphage Sloth** doesn't allow you to add any cards to your hand."

"Well this is looking more miserable by the second." - Hannah looked at her hand, trying to run through what she can even do during her turn while Vector was explaining what she can't.

"Finally, **Amorphage Lechery** doesn't allow either one of us to activate Spell Cards as long as I control an Amorphage monster." - Vector finished.

"Okay, so no extra deck, no searching and no Spells." - Hannah summed everything up - "So what can I even do?"

"Nothing." - Vector said, and chuckled to himself.

"Well, I'll be damned if I don't try." - Hannah wasn't ready to give up that easily - "I Normal Summon **Majespecter Toad - Ogama**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1300/DEF 500)" - a small green frog with a purple-red cape appeared - "Using its effect, I can set a Majespecter Spell or Trap from my deck! I set **Majespecter Tempest**! And **Ogama** doesn't add anything to my hand, so I'm good!"

"Not bad." - Vector tried his best to compliment her for her efforts, but just came off as condescending.

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn!" - Hannah declared.

"So, the effects of his Pendulum Scales only apply when he has an Amorphage monster on the field. So ideally, I'd have to find a way to get rid of his monsters." - she thought.

 **Turn 3 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 0 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphage Greed, **Spells/Traps:** Amorphage Infection, 1 set, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Sloth, Amorphage Lechery **)**

"My turn!" - Vector said - "Before anything happens, I activate **Amorphage Lysis** , which decreases the ATK and DEF of all monsters on the field, except Amorphages, by 100 for each Amorphage card I control."

 **Majespecter Toad - Ogama:** ATK 1300 - 500 = 800

"Now, during each Standby Phase, for each Amorphage in my Pendulum Scale, I have to tribute a monster, or the scale gets destroyed."

"So, there's the cost. I figured that he couldn't just have all those effects for free." - Hannah thought.

"I tribute **Amorphage Greed** to keep **Amorphage Lechery** on the field, and **Amorphage Sloth** will have to go, unfortunately." - Vector said.

" _Unfortunately_." - Hannah said with a strong hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"We're not quite done though. When a monster in my control is destroyed or tributed, **Amorphage Infection** allows me to add an Amorphage card from my deck to my hand, and I add **Amorphage Lechery**!"

"He could've used that effect to search for another scale, so why did he search another 5-scale?"

"We're not done there, though!" - Vector declared with glee.

"I guess I'm about to get an answer."

"When a card in my Pendulum Zone is destroyed, **Amorphage Lysis** allows me to replace it with an Amorphage monster from my deck!"

"His scales will just keep replenishing. Wonderful." - Hannah thought, and despite her insistence otherwise, her chances of winning the duel were looking more bleak by the second.

"I activate **Amorphage Wrath** from my deck!" - replacing Sloth was a grey dragon with a wolf's head growing out of its back. Its neck was connected to the dead wolf via red veins, which gave off the impression that the dragon was using it as a source of life energy as it slowly consumed more and more of the already rotting creature.

"And how will this one prevent me from playing the game?" - Hannah asked, not looking forward to the answer.

"While I control an Amorphage monster, **Wrath** disables tributing monsters except, of course, Amorphage monsters."

Hannah threw her hands up in the air, as if she already wanted the duel to end, even though it barely began. Vector stepped back a bit to admire his own work, then cackled, realizing that Hannah had almost nothing to work with.

"Next, since I searched it, I Normal Summon **Amorphage Lechery**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 2/ATK 1350/DEF 0)"

"Wait, Normal Summon?" - Hannah was initially confused about Vector's intentions - "Oh, you clever bastard. If I don't negate this now, I won't be able to tribute monsters at all, so all my Traps become useless."

Vector smirked as Hannah slowly came to the realization that she had barely any choice in what she can and cannot play.

"Even if I don't negate it, **Lechery** can just attack over **Ogama** anyways _and_ he'll be able to tribute for both of his scales next turn."

Hannah was running through what she can do in her head, and Vector thoroughly enjoyed watching her squirm.

"So, any response?" - he asked.

"I activate **Majespecter Tempest** , tribute **Ogama** , and negate that summon." - she said with great hesitation.

"Fantastic!" - Vector laughed - "With that out of the way, I Pendulum Summon **Amorphage Greed**!" - the hedgehog-dragon hybrid came back from the dead.

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 1950 + 500 = 2450

"In defense position?" - Hannah asked - "Do you not want to beat me?"

"I'm a patient man." - Vector said, aware that those words weren't entirely true - "With that, I'll end my turn."

 **Turn 4 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 2 set **)**

"My turn, then!" - Hannah said - "Well, I can try at least."

She drew a card, and desperately looked at her hand, trying to find any way out of this situation.

"Another **Tempest** isn't bad, but he'll just bait it out again."

She took her time deciding what to play next, causing Vector to speak up.

"What's taking so long?" - he asked.

"I thought you said you were patient." - Hannah replied, and Vector just shrugged his shoulders.

"I summon **Majespecter Raccoon - Bunbuku**! (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 900)" - a small brown raccoon appeared in front of Hannah, and looked as confused with the whole situation as she did - "And, using its effect, I add **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** from my deck to my hand!"

She looked at Vector, disinclined to end her turn, but forced to do so after realizing she cannot do much.

"I set one card." - she said - "Your turn."

"What's the matter, can't play?" - Vector poked fun at her, and she looked at him, eyes full of contempt - "I offered you an easier alternative, but again, you didn't listen."

"Shut your mouth and play!" - despite the chances of her winning the duel being nigh impossible, she couldn't help but hurry Vector up, because she was tired of his gloating.

 **Turn 5 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphage Greed, **Spells/Traps:** Amorphage Infection, Amorphage Lysis, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Wrath, Amorphage Lechery **)**

"First off, I tribute **Amorphage Greed** to keep **Wrath** on the field, and **Lechery** will have to go!" - much like this time two turns ago, Greed disappeared off the field along with one of Vector's scales.

"Then, I use the effect of **Lysis** to place **Amorphage Gluttony** in my Pendulum Scale, and the effect of **Infection** to add **Amorphage Pride** to my hand."

"And what does **Gluttony** do?" - Hannah asked, even though she really couldn't bring herself to care at that point.

"It disables all monster effects." - Vector explained - "But I won't bother you with that. Instead, I'll activate **Twin Twisters**! I'm sure you already know what it does."

"He just has an answer to anything I do." - Hannah thought, and put her head in her arms as Tempest and Cyclone disappeared, along with her final hope of winning the duel.

"Next, I Pendulum Summon **Amorphage Greed** from the extra deck, as well as **Amorphage Pride** from my hand!" - the hedgehog dragon appeared for the third time, along with a bright green dragon with two heads, the draconic one feasting off the rotting remains of an eagle - "And, need I remind you that thanks to **Lysis** , all non-Amorphage monsters lose 600 ATK and DEF, and all Amorphages gain the same amount thanks to **Infection**."

 **Majespecter Raccoon - Bunbuku:** ATK 1200 - 600 = 600

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 1950 + 600 = 2550

 **Amorphage Pride:** ATK 1750 + 600 = 2350

"And now, since it seems you want this duel to end, **Amorphage Pride** attacks **Majespecter Raccoon**!" - the dragon used its wings, as well as those of the eagle it was consuming, to fly over to Bunbuku, then wrapped its tail around the helpless animal as it turned to green and grey mush.

 **Hannah:** LP 4000 - 1750 = 2250

"I'll end the turn with that." - Vector said - "You have one more turn, so make it count."

 **Turn 6 - Hannah (LP 2250 / Hand - 3 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

Hannah drew what Vector believed to be her last card, but her hope was just slightly rekindled by the draw.

"I think you'll remember this card!" - she said with the faintest smile on her face - "I activate **Twin Twisters** , discard a card, and destroy **Amorphage Lysis** and **Amorphage Gluttony**!"

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 2550 - 200 = 2350

 **Amorphage Pride:** ATK 2350 - 200 = 2150

Vector, despite being assured of victory, couldn't help but be surprised at the fact that Hannah had any fight whatsoever left in her.

"You may have taken care of **Lysis** , but **Infection** still allows me to add an Amorphage card from my deck to my hand." - he revealed the monster he added, but Hannah wasn't paying attention.

"I can beat him." - she thought, running through the upcoming two turns in her head.

"I summon **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** (WIND/Spellcaster/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000) from my hand!" - a yellow fox with a tornado tail appeared - "And, since you no longer control **Gluttony** , I can use its effect, and add the last copy of **Majespecter Tempest** from my deck to my hand!"

"Not sure how that'll help." - Vector said.

"Well, watch me! I activate **Majespecter Sonics**! With this **Kyubi** 's ATK is doubled!"

 **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** : ATK 1500 x 2 = 3000

"Battle!" - Hannah declared - " **Majespecter Fox - Kyubi** , attack **Amorphage Pride**!"

The fox's tornado tail increased in size, and as soon as it was large enough to consume the eagle dragon, part of it detached from the tail and headed for Vector's field.

"Unfortunately, the monster affected by **Sonics** only inflicts halved damage to the opponent."

 **Vector:** LP 4000 - 425 = 3575

Hannah was ecstatic that she finally managed to damage Vector, even if by just a little bit.

"I set one card, and end my turn!" - despite the situation still looking bleak, she regained a tiny bit of confidence with her last turn.

 **Turn 7 - Vector (LP - 3575 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphage Greed, **Spells/Traps:** Amorphage Infection, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Wrath **)**

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to take any damage this duel." - Vector said - "So I commend you on that. But you still lose."

"I wouldn't be so sure." - Hannah said in reply.

"Well, since you don't believe me, let me prove it."

The standard Standby Phase procedure ensued, and Vector tributed Amorphage Greed to maintain his only remaining Pendulum Scale.

"I'll use the effect of **Amorphage Infection** to add **Amorphage Goliath** from my deck to my hand! But, that's not important right now! Using the Scale 5 **Amorphage Envy** , I set the Pendulum Scale again!"

"What does this one prevent?" - Hannah asked.

"It doesn't matter one bit!" - Vector said, and barely managed to stop himself from bursting into maniacal laughter - "From the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Amorphage Greed** and **Amorphage Pride**!"

"I won't let you get off that easy!" - Hannah said - "I activate **Majespecter Tempest** , tributing **Kyubi** to negate the summon!"

Greed and Pride disappeared off the field before they even had a chance to appear.

"He searched a Level 8 monster with **Infection** , so I get to have one more turn!"- Hannah thought, quite pleased with how things were going, but Vector ruined her mood in record time.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" - he screamed - "Don't you realize that nothing you do matters!?"

Vector could barely keep himself together anymore as he screamed to the ceiling. Hannah backed up a few steps, her hope turning to despair in a matter of seconds.

"I banish **Amorphous Persona** from my graveyard!" - Vector shouted, his high-pitched voice bouncing off the walls of the massive hall.

"He must've discarded that with **Twin Twisters**." - Hannah immediately concluded.

"I tribute the Level 8 **Amorphage Goliath** from my hand!"

"What the hell is happening?" - Hannah asked in panic, but Vector was too occupied to reply.

"Make our enemies writhe in pain, watch them desperately squirm as they try to cling on to whatever life they have left, and hear their death throes! Rise from the depths of madness to deliver true justice! Ritual Summon, **Amorphactor Pain, the Imagination Dracoverlord**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2950/DEF 2500)" - a huge dark grey dragon appeared, and it looked like it was half melting. Out of its neck grew a draconic man, with long gravity-defying white hair, his dark purple wings spread wide. He resembled Vector's appearance almost perfectly. The man's glowing red eyes looked straight at Hannah, causing her to shiver, as the dragon beneath him let out a loud, threatening roar that shook the entire hall.

" **Amorphactor**!" - Vector screamed, then suddenly got much quieter, and said his duel-ending words in almost a complete whisper - "Direct attack."

The dragon roared even louder, causing an almost deafening echo, and released a bright stream of white light from its mouth and towards Hannah. She was knocked back into the door behind her when the attack hit, and knocked out as soon as she landed on the floor.

 **Hannah:** LP 2250 - 2250 = 0

Vector tried to catch his breath and calm himself down after the duel ended. Upon somehow managing to do so, he slowly walked up the stairs towards Hannah's unconscious body.

"Now will you listen to me?" - he asked.


	26. Through the Gates of Hell

**Chapter 26 - Through the Gates of Hell**

Hannah woke up in the same bed for the second time today. This time, Vector stood opposite her, leaning against one of the room's sterile walls. She tried to get out of bed, but momentarily couldn't even stand up due to an immense pain in her back, so she just laid back down, as Vector looked at her pitiful attempts to get away from him.

"You can't get out anyways, I've locked the doors." - he said.

"And we both know how well that worked last time." - Hannah said, but Vector didn't appreciate her snide comment - "What do you want?"

"I need your help."

"Not happening."

"It is, whether you want it to or not." - Vector said - "You're not leaving this place any time soon, so you now have two options. Either you help me willingly, which you don't seem too intent on doing, or I turn you into a Fiend, you lose your conscience, and then you help me anyways. Your choice."

"None of the above." - Hannah stared into Vector's eyes, and he just chuckled at her reply.

"I'll tell the lab guys to get ready then." - he said, and headed for the exit of the room.

"You're bluffing." - Hannah said to Vector's back, just as he was about to unlock the door.

"Why would I be bluffing?" - Vector asked, but didn't receive an answer after a knock on the door echoed through the room. He opened it very slightly, and started a brief conversation with one of the Fiends. Hannah couldn't quite make out what it was about, but overheard Vector's words at the very end of the conversation.

"Is Fiend 130 fit to duel?" - Vector asked, and the Fiend nodded in reply - "Good. Then get him out there first, and the rest of you get ready."

Vector closed the door, and turned to face Hannah again, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"So, here's the deal." - he continued - "You're helping me either way. I usually wouldn't even be offering you an alternative to being turned into a Fiend, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Hannah smirked, leaving Vector slightly perplexed.

"They're here, aren't they? That's what the exchange just now was about."

"It's true that your friends are getting quite close now." - Vector shrugged, deciding there was no point in hiding that information from her - "However, that still doesn't answer my question. Are you helping me, or do I have to make you help me?"

"You already know my answer."

"Fine then. I'll tell the lab guys to get ready." - Vector said, then stormed out of the room, slamming the door. A click came from the lock, after which the room fell into silence.

* * *

"The tracker says it should be here." - Ella said. The group stood in front of a large garden, surrounded by a grand building on three sides. Dead trees lined the path to the building's main entrance, and what was once a fountain in the middle of the garden was now filled with brown, murky water.

"Are you sure?" - Jonas asked - "It looks rather empty."

"Pretty sure, unless the tracking messed up."

"Well, let's go then." - Ella walked through the large rusted steel entrance to the garden, and everyone else followed, albeit walking slower than her. Just as Ella nearly reached the front entrance of the building, the large door squeaked slightly as a familiar face opened it.

"It looks like the cavalry's arrived." - he said.

"Niall!?" - Ella said before anyone else could even see who came out the door, seemingly surprised despite expecting him to be here. Niall had a devilish grin on his face.

"It's not him." - Sara said as she caught up with Ella.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at him. He's way too pale."

Ella looked back and forth a few times, confused.

"Besides, if Vector's around here, why would he be walking around freely if he wasn't a Fiend."

"She's right you know." - Niall confirmed Sara's suspicions. Ella looked at him with regret in her eyes. Somewhere deep down, she was expecting Niall to be turned into a Fiend from the moment he was taken, but had the slightest hope that it wouldn't happen, which now quickly dissipated.

"You're not getting to Vector without getting past me." - Niall continued - "So, which one of you will have a go first?"

"And where's the rest of the Fiends? I was expecting there to be more than one person." - Sara said.

"I will admit you arrived a bit sooner than we had hoped, so they're not all ready. But it matters not, you have to get past me first."

"Can't imagine that'll be too difficult." - Sara said, ready to start the duel, but Ella recovered from her shock just in time to interrupt her. She grabbed Sara's wrist to stop her from activating her duel disk.

"Let me handle this." - she said.

"You sure?" - Sara asked.

"I know how he plays, I probably have the best chance here anyways." - Ella replied - "And besides, if there's even the tiniest chance of getting him back to normal, I want to take it."

"Good luck then." - Sara took a couple of steps back, and the duel began.

 **Turn 1 - Niall (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Well, she thinks she knows what deck I play." - Niall looked at his hand, a tell-tale smirk revealing that he was pleased by what he was looking at.

"Let's see if he starts defensive like he always does." - Ella thought.

"I Normal Summon **Zoodiac Ratpier** , (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 0) and use its effect to send **Zoodiac Bunnyblast** from my deck to the graveyard!"

A short girl with blue eyes, fluffy blonde hair and a pair of rat ears on her head stood in front of Niall, wearing a dark blue cape, medieval-looking armour and a comically oversized metallic glove on her left hand, which in turn held a thin steel rapier. Ella stumbled back a couple of steps after the monster was summoned.

"What…" - she mumbled.

"I guess you weren't expecting this."

Ella remained silent.

"There's more where that came from!" - Niall continued - "Next, I'll use my Level 4 **Zoodiac Ratpier** to Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Boarbow**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - the monster that appeared looked mostly human, with slicked back blonde hair and bright green eyes, but its ears and feet were those of a boar. He also had a giant bronze glove on his left hand, holding an equally large bright red bow with it.

"Did you just Xyz Summon with one monster?" - Ella asked after recovering from the initial surprise.

"Yeah."

"You can't just do that."

"I quite clearly can."

"I thought you said you knew how he played." - Carla said.

"Well, I thought I did. But Vector must have given him a new deck." - Ella replied.

"You would be right." - Niall confirmed.

"But you loved Bujins!"

"You can't get attached to a pile of cards! They're only a weapon, nothing more than that!" - Niall said, his grin getting ever so slightly wider.

"He's completely lost it." - Ella thought.

"Next, I detach an Xyz Material from **Zoodiac Boarbow** , allowing me to Special Summon another **Zoodiac Ratpier** from the deck!" - another rodent appeared on the field, but Niall showed no signs of stopping - "Next, I'll use my Rank 4 **Zoodiac Boarbow** as material! Xyz Evolution, **Zoodiac Tigermortar**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)"

A blue-eyed girl appeared, wearing a blue and white uniform, contrasting her bright orange and black tiger tail. She rode on top of a large orange cannon with a blue eight-pointed star at the front of it, and much like her comrades, wore a giant metallic glove on her left hand.

"Now, by detaching one material from **Tigermortar** , I can reattach one monster from my graveyard to it as Xyz Material!" - the lone orb floating around Tigermortar got absorbed into its cannon, but another swiftly took its place - "Now, since **Zoodiac Ratpier** is attached to **Tigermortar** , I can detach a material once more, and summon another **Ratpier** from the deck!"

Niall was overjoyed at the sight of yet another rat appearing on his field, but he was nowhere near done with his turn.

"Next, I activate **Zoodiac Barrage** , and immediately activate its effect!" - the large blue cannon started glowing, and exploded after a while, taking the unfortunate tigress with it - "I destroy **Tigermortar** , and Special Summon **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 0) from my deck!"

A man appeared, his head covered in smooth brown hair, wrapping around his horse ears. He wore red and grey robes, and also had a giant bronze glove, this time on his right hand, holding a huge sharp blade.

"Using **Thoroughblade** 's effect, I send **Zoodiac Ramram** from my hand to the graveyard, and draw 1 card! Then, using the Level 4 **Thoroughblade** , I'll Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Drident**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - the woman that appeared wore mostly white clothes, accented by a dark burgundy colour, matching her hair. A giant green and purple dragon tail came out of her back, and she had an oversized golden glove, also on her right hand, wielding a halberd.

"And, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of all its Zoodiac materials!"

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 0 + 1600 = 1600

"Next, I'll overlay the two Level 4 **Zoodiac Ratpier** , and Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Broadbull**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - another Xyz appeared, this time in the form of a large, muscular man, this time with the horns and tail of a bull, the glove on his right hand holding an axe - "And by detaching a material from **Broadbull** , I can add a Beast-Warrior monster from my deck to my hand! I add **Zoodiac Whiptail** , and using its effect, attach it to **Zoodiac Drident**!"

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 1600 + 1200 = 2800 / DEF 0 + 400 = 400

"I'll end my turn by setting a card." - Niall said, finally wrapping up his turn - "Your move."

 **Turn 2 - Ella (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"So, he's not playing what I thought he'd be. Bit of a surprise, yes, but not that much of a problem." - Ella thought - "Let's tear through that field!" - she said as she drew a card.

"I'd love to see you try."

"Just watch me!" - Ella grabbed two cards from her hand - "Using **Metalfoes Silverd** and **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** , I set the Pendulum Scale!"

"That's quite predictable." - Niall commented.

"Well, at least I don't change decks for no reason." - Ella shrugged - "Anyways, let's get on with this! I'll use **Bismugear** 's Pendulum Effect to destroy **Metalfoes Silverd** , and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck!"

"As expected." - Niall continued to poke Ella, but she decided to ignore him.

"Now, I'll Normal Summon **Metalfoes Steelen**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 2100)" - a steel motorcycle appeared in front of Ella, and its rider decided to showboat by doing a full circle around her, kicking up some dust, then settling back onto the field - "And, I'll activate **Metalfoes Fusion** , fusing **Steelen** on the field and **Volflame** in my hand! Merge, man and machine! Descend from dizzying heights and destroy this desolate world and all that dares dwell in it! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Orichalc**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200)"

"So, is your plan to deal double piercing damage, since one of my monsters has 0 DEF?" - Niall asked.

"Is your plan to shut up?" - Ella responded in kind, and continued with her turn - "I'll place **Metalfoes Goldriver** in the Pendulum Zone, to complete the scales once more, and Pendulum Summon **Metalfoes Steelen** back from the extra deck, and **Metalfoes Silverd** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 100) from the hand!" - two more Metalfoes appeared in front of her, with the familiar Steelen on his metallic motorcycle, and Silverd riding a shining silver jet.

"Battle! **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack **Zoodiac Broadbull**!"

"You really thought I'd let you do that?" - Niall asked.

"Well, I kind of hoped at least." - Carla responded instead of Ella.

"No such luck, I'm afraid. I detach an Xyz Material from **Drident** , and destroy **Metalfoes Orichalc**!" - the dragon woman swung her trident Orichalc's way, stopping its attack and reducing it to a pile of metal parts.

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 2800 - 1600 = 1200

"Since you seem to know everything about my deck, you must also know that **Orichalc** destroys a card when it leaves the field." - Ella said.

"That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"I'm sure you won't miss **Drident** then." - just as she finished her devastating attack, a beam of fire shot up from the remains of Metalfoes Orichalc, and descended down upon Drident, and she disappeared from the field as quickly as her victim.

"His only remaining monster has no stats." - Carla said - "So surely she can just run over it now."

"I hope." - Jonas said - "But I feel like Niall has more tricks up his sleeve."

" **Metalfoes Silverd** , attack **Zoodiac Broadbull**!" - Ella attacked the bull for a second time in the same turn, hoping that the attack would go through this time

"Again, were you hoping to get past him that easy?" - Niall proved Jonas' suspicions right - "I activate **Zoodiac Combo** , allowing me to take a Zoodiac monster from my deck, and attach it to **Broadbull**! I'll attach **Zoodiac Ramram** , so your attack is going nowhere!"

 **Zoodiac Broadbull:** ATK 0 + 400 = 400 / DEF 0 + 2000 = 2000

Silverd helplessly crashed into Broadbull, who was now far stronger than her, and was being protected by a shield her bullets couldn't penetrate.

 **Ella:** LP 4000 - 300 = 3700

"Well, attacks won't get rid of that thing any time soon." - Ella thought as Silverd landed back on her field.

"Let's try a different method then!" - she said - "I activate **Goldriver** 's effect, and destroy **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** in my Pendulum Scale to set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck again! And, while I'm at it, I'll immediately activate it!"

A bright yellow portal appeared behind her, and Silverd and Steelen both rode into it, making way for a new monster.

"Merge, man and machine! Take flight, mythical master of mountains, and soar through the skies as the sun glistens off your silver steel! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Mithrilium**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1000)" - out of the portal came Silverd, now merged with her plane, as its wings attached themselves to her back.

"Next, I'll use **Mithrilium** 's effect, and shuffle **Metalfoes Orichalc** and **Metalfoes Volflame** from my graveyard into the deck, and return **Broadbull** to the hand!" - Mithrilium shot a bright bullet towards Broadbull, which turned the whole monster a bright shade of red, and it disappeared off the field.

"Not bad, I must say." - Niall commented - "Even though it took you three attempts to get **Broadbull** off the field, at least it's gone now."

"I'll set a card, and end my turn." - Ella decided to ignore him - "And, since it's the End Phase, the effect of **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** activates, allowing me to add **Volflame** from my deck to my hand."

 **Turn 3 - Niall (LP - 4000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Zoodiac Barrage **)**

"Draw!" - Niall said - "First off, I'll activate the effect of **Zoodiac Combo** in the grave! By banishing it, I shuffle **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** , **Whiptail** , **Ratpier** , **Drident** and **Tigermortar** into the deck, then draw a card! And, I'll summon the monster I just drew! Come forth, **Zoodiac Ramram**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 2000)" - a small boy appeared, with light grey hair and the horns of a ram, wearing dark brown leather clothes and holding a shield bigger than him with his right hand.

"Then, I'll use the effect of **Zoodiac Barrage** to destroy **Ramram**!" - a beam shot forwards from Barrage towards the boy, and despite his giant shield, he was helpless against it - "And, I'll summon **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** from the deck again!"

The brown-haired man with horse ears and a giant sword appeared on the field again.

"Don't worry though, **Ramram** 's sacrifice wasn't in vain, as he can now summon a Zoodiac monster from the graveyard!"

"Yeah, I was really worried for a second there." - Ella commented.

"Come back, **Zoodiac Ratpier**!"

"Oh, that thing again."

"Yeah, and I'll immediately overlay **Ratpier** into **Zoodiac Boarbow** again!" - the man with the ears of a boar appeared on the field.

"And let me guess, you're going to detach **Ratpier** to summon one from the deck." - Ella said, now predicting Niall's every move, as his turn seemed to be quite similar to his last one.

"Well done, you're getting the hang of this." - Niall said, as he did exactly what Ella said, and another copy of Ratpier appeared on his field - "Next, I'll use **Boarbow** as Xyz Material! Xyz Evolution, **Zoodiac Tigermortar**!"

"For someone who was saying I was predictable a turn ago, you sure do like repeating yourself." - Ella commented again. Niall continued as if she didn't say anything.

"Then, I'll use **Tigermortar** 's effect, detach a material, and attach **Zoodiac Ramram** to her as material!" - Tigermortar repeated the same thing she did a turn ago, as a material was absorbed into her cannon, only to be replaced by an orb of the same colour seconds later.

"I'll show you predictable!" - Niall said - "But first off, using **Zoodiac Tigermortar** , I'll Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Drident** once more!"

Drident reappeared after barely a turn of not being on the field, this time in defense position.

"Are you ready?" - Niall asked.

"For what?" - Ella asked - "Look, you surprised me at the start of this duel, I'll give you that, but I know what I'm playing against now. What can you even do to surprise me anymore?"

"Oh, you have no idea." - Niall let out a barely audible whisper, as he could barely contain his insane grin.

"I don't like the look on his face." - Jonas said.

"I'll overlay my Level 4 **Zoodiac Ratpier** and **Zoodiac Thoroughblade**!" - a large fire appeared behind Niall, and lightning struck in the distance.

"This seems familiar." - Ella thought.

"Brought to life by the death of creation, the shining elder descends onto this mortal realm! Xyz Summon, the eternal god of fire! **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)" - the monster that appeared shone brightly as it was made almost entirely out of bright blue flames. Ella stumbled back, looking at Kagutsuchi in shock.

"And, when **Kagutsuchi** is summoned, I send the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard!"

"He does still have Bujins." - Ella mumbled.

"So, how's that for a surprise?" - Niall asked.

At this moment, Ella remembered what Sara said about people being turned into Fiends - " _Once you're turned into a Fiend, you lose everything that was human inside you. You retain your memories, but everything else is lost. No emotion, no feelings. You just become an empty husk…_ "

"If he still has a Bujin, I might be able to break through to him." - Ella thought, shaking her head to try and forget Sara's words about that being impossible - "I'll get him back if it's the last thing I do."


	27. The Downpour

**Chapter 27 - The Downpour**

"Why are you surprised?" - Niall taunted Ella while she stared at Kagutsuchi in awe - "You said you knew what I was playing, did you not?"

"Finish this duel quickly!" - an order came through a small device in Niall's right ear. The voice was recognizably Vector's - "Once you're done with her, move on to the Dracoslayers."

Niall nodded, and proceeded with his turn.

"I activate the effect of **Zoodiac Drident**!" - he said, and Drident obeyed his command, pointing her halberd towards the sky. A large beam of golden light shot up into the air, before crashing down on Metalfoes Mithrilium, leaving a large cloud of smoke where she once stood.

"I use **Mithrilium** 's effect!" - Ella declared. Metalfoes Steelen kicked up a cloud of dust as he landed back on the field in defense position.

"He won't be long for this world!" - Niall said, and entered the Battle Phase - " **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** , attack **Metalfoes Steelen**!" - Kagutsuchi raised its bright blue sword, and charged towards Ella's field, cutting the core powering Steelen's motorcycle in two, causing a substantial explosion.

"And, since **Thoroughblade** is attached to **Kagutsuchi** as material, it grants it an additional effect!"

 **Ella:** LP 3700 - 400 = 3300

" **Metalfoes Counter** , activate!" - Ella said after the dust settled.

"As expected." - Niall commented.

"I Special Summon **Metalfoes Goldriver** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 500) from the deck!"

"Your move, then." - he said.

 **Turn 4 - Ella (LP - 3300 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Metalfoes Goldriver, **Pendulum Zones:** Metalfoes Goldriver **)**

"Draw!" - Ella started her turn - "First off, I'll activate the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** in the graveyard, shuffling it into the deck, then drawing one card!" - the number of cards in her hand doubled since the start of her turn.

"Now, I'll place **Metalfoes Volflame** in my Pendulum Zone, and immediately destroy it!" - Volflame barely appeared on the field before being engulfed in flames - "Using **Goldriver** 's Pendulum Effect, I set **Metalfoes Fusion** on the field!"

"You know, you always were quite predictable." - Niall continued to taunt Ella - "Using the same old strategy every time."

She stared at him, feeling more and more contempt towards him by the second.

"Then again, you don't need to change anything up if…" - he continued, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"Are you quite done?" - Ella asked.

"Yeah, I got a bit carried away." - Niall replied - "Carry on with your pointless struggle."

"Using the Scale 8 **Metalfoes Steelen** , I set the Pendulum Scale, and Pendulum Summon **Metalfoes Steelen** , **Silverd** and **Volflame** from the extra deck!"

"I'm afraid **Kagutsuchi** is still the strongest monster on the field! But by all means, continue."

"I activate **Metamorformation**!" - Ella said, placing a card in her Field Zone. The colours of everything around them changed to varying shades of blue - "With this, all my Metalfoes monsters gain 300 ATK and DEF!"

 **Metalfoes Steelen:** DEF 2100 + 300 = 2400

 **Metalfoes Silverd:** ATK 1700 + 300 = 2000

 **Metalfoes Goldriver:** ATK 1900 + 300 = 2200

 **Metalfoes Volflame:** ATK 2400 + 300 = 2700

"So, that's how you're planning on getting through my monsters, then!" - Niall said - "I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. I activate the effect of **Zoodiac Drident** , and destroy **Volflame**!" - he declared, and another beam of golden light shot towards Ella's field. This time however, it stopped, reaching an invisible barrier in front of her monsters before it could do any damage, leaving Niall mildly surprised.

"It appears you don't know all my tricks." - Ella smiled - "Thanks to **Metamorformation** , since I have a Metalfoes card in my Pendulum Zone, all my Metalfoes that don't have effects are unaffected by yours!"

"You got me there, I guess." - Niall admitted - "Bring it on then!"

" **Metalfoes Goldriver** , attack **Zoodiac Drident**!" - Drident's beam finally dissipated, and Goldriver was free to charge towards her, returning the favour for Mithrilium's earlier destruction.

"Next, **Metalfoes Volflame** attacks **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**!"

 **Niall:** LP 4000 - 200 = 3800

The smoke cleared, revealing that Kagutsuchi is still standing.

"Why is it still here?" - Carla asked.

" **Kagutsuchi** 's effect activates when a Beast-Warrior Bujin would be destroyed. By detaching a material, it can prevent that destruction." - Ella explained.

"So, you attacked just to deal some pathetic damage?" - Niall asked - "Are you done or are you going to keep struggling?"

"I activate **Metalfoes Fusion** , fusing **Metalfoes Steelen** and **Silverd**!" - Ella continued her turn - "Merge, man and machine! Break the silence and ignite the spark of justice! Rise, rebel, and rain down the flames of revolution! Fusion Summon, **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)" - Alkahest made a welcome appearance on the field, its metallic armour glistening blue because of its surroundings - "And, thanks to my Field Spell, it gains 300 DEF!"

 **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest:** DEF 0 + 300 = 300

"Now, I'll use the effect of **Metalfoes Steelen** in my Pendulum Scale, destroying **Goldriver** to set **Fullmetalfoes Fusion** from my deck!" - the golden warrior was next in line for destruction, and a set card appeared on Ella's field to ensure his sacrifice wasn't in vain - "I'll end my turn with that!"

 **Turn 5 - Niall (LP - 3800 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Bujintei Kagutsuchi, **Spells/Traps:** Zoodiac Barrage **)**

" **Alkahest** , huh?" - Niall thought as he drew a card - "That's going to be a bit of a nuisance. Let's see if I can bait that effect out."

"First, I'll Normal Summon **Zoodiac Bunnyblast** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 800), and use it to Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Broadbull** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?) once more!" - the axe-wielding man appeared on the field for a second time in this duel.

"Next, I use the effect of **Zoodiac Barrage**! I destroy it, and Special Summon **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 0) from the deck!" - Thoroughblade appeared on the field once more, while at the same time, another glowing orb started circling around Broadbull - "And, when **Barrage** itself is destroyed, I can attach it to a Zoodiac monster as material! However, I'll immediately detach it to activate **Broadbull** 's effect, and add **Zoodiac Whiptail** from my deck to my hand!"

After all that, Niall took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments before continuing.

"Now, using **Zoodiac Broadbull** as Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Drident**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)"

"Oh, her again? And you said I was predictable." - Ella commented.

"I also said there's no reason to change a strategy if it works. Or I would have said it, if you hadn't interrupted me so rudely. Now, I use the effect of **Zoodiac Drident** , targeting **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**!"

Drident absorbed one of its Xyz Materials, and shot another golden beam towards Ella's field, but, just as the last time this effect was used, it didn't get very far.

"Let's just put a stop to that! I activate **Alkahest** 's effect, and equip **Drident** to him as an equip card, meaning **Drident** 's effect doesn't resolve!"

"Perfect!" - Niall thought, and couldn't help but smile.

"I have a feeling that's exactly what he wanted." - Jonas said, still watching from the side.

"You might be right, unfortunately." - Sara said - " **Drident** was a fairly weak monster, all things considered, and this makes sure that Ella can't interrupt anything he does from now on."

"Your friends over there are right!" - Niall exclaimed - "I used **Drident** to try and destroy **Alkahest** , fully aware that you'd try and keep it on the field by any means necessary. You could have taken **Kagutsuchi** , and we both would have lost a monster, but instead you're focusing on keeping **Alkahest** alive!"

Niall paused his monologue for a moment, and looked at Ella, who was unflinching and certain of her strategy.

"I said you were predictable, dear Ella. Oh so very predictable." - Niall quietly chuckled before continuing - "Now, using **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** as Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Boarbow** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?), and don't forget, it gains the ATK and DEF of its materials." - a familiar blonde boar-looking man appeared on the field, wielding a giant red bow.

 **Zoodiac Boarbow:** ATK 0 + 1600 = 1600

"And, I'll attach **Zoodiac Whiptail** from my hand to it as material!"

 **Zoodiac Boarbow:** ATK 1600 + 1200 = 2800 / DEF 0 + 400 = 400

"Battle!" - he declared - " **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** , attack **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**!"

"I activate **Fullmetalfoes Fusion** , fusing **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest** , **Metalfoes Goldriver** and **Zoodiac Drident**!" - Ella interrupted his onslaught - "I guess you saw this one coming as well."

Niall just smiled, and let her continue.

"Merge, man and machine! Expurgate the evil from this dead world, and end everything your eyes touch! Rise, the ultimate killing machine, welded by the fires of death! Fusion Summon! **Metalfoes Crimsonite**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)" - a man appeared, wearing an oversized, glowing, hot orange suit of armour, equipped with two burning blades as weapons - "And, its ATK increases thanks to **Metamorformation** , and it is also unaffected by all of your effects!"

 **Metalfoes Crimsonite:** ATK 3000 + 300 = 3300

"Now the monster on my field is stronger than both of yours, but I assume you saw that coming!" - Ella said with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice, but Niall paid no attention to her words.

" **Zoodiac Boarbow** , direct attack!" - he declared.

"What?" - Ella said, her eyes widening slightly, and her surprise was shared by many of the duel's spectators. Boarbow shot his first arrow towards her, and it whizzed by her head. Boarbow shot a second time, this time landing a direct attack, hitting his target in the chest, causing her to collapse to her knees.

 **Ella:** LP 3300 - 2800 = 500

"Why are you still in this duel?" - Niall laughed, looking at Ella trying to get on her feet - "Save yourself the pain, and just surrender!"

"Never." - Ella said once she finally got back up - "Time and time again in this duel, you've shown that you know me better than anyone. So, you should know fully well that I don't intend on giving up on this! The Niall I know wouldn't have even considered surrender a possibility!"

"The Niall you know is dead!"

"He's not!" - Ella exclaimed - "And I'm not giving up on getting him back even if I have to die to do it!"

"We can make that happen!" - Niall said in a loud voice, barely quieter than a scream - "I place two cards face-down and end my turn!"

 **Turn 6 - Ella (LP - 500 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Metalfoes Crimsonite, Metalfoes Volflame, **Pendulum Zones:** Metalfoes Steelen, **Field Zone:** Metamorformation **)**

"Draw!" - Ella said - "I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** in the graveyard, shuffling it into the deck!" - she drew another card.

"Next, I banish **Metalfoes Counter** from my graveyard, and add **Metalfoes Goldriver** from my extra deck to my hand!" - much like last turn, the number of cards in Ella's hand quickly increased - "Then, I place the Scale 1 **Metalfoes Goldriver** in my Pendulum Zone, and complete the Pendulum Scale! And now, I'll Pendulum Summon **Metalfoes Silverd** and **Metalfoes Steelen**!"

"Then you'll set **Metalfoes Fusion** from your deck!" - Niall continued instead of her, while she grew more and more annoyed by his constant interruptions.

"I destroy **Metalfoes Steelen** in my Pendulum Zone, set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck, and immediately activate it, fusing **Silverd** and **Steelen**! Merge, man and machine! Take flight, mythical master of mountains, and soar through the skies as the sun glistens off your silver steel! Fusion Summon, my very soul, **Metalfoes Mithrilium**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1000)"

 **Metalfoes Mithrilium:** ATK 2600 + 300 = 2900

"Do you think that's enough to win!?" - Niall asked her.

"It's enough to at least make sure I get another turn!" - Ella said, ultimately unsure of how true those words were.

"I activate **Mithrilium** 's effect!" - Ella continued - "I shuffle another **Mithrilium** , as well as **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest** from my graveyard into the extra deck, and return **Zoodiac Boarbow** to the extra deck!"

"So, that's your plan?" - Niall said as the number of monsters on his field was cut in half.

"You can't say she's not trying." - Sara commented - "Sure enough, he can't attack her directly next turn with **Boarbow** gone."

"But it's gone back to the extra deck." - Jonas said - "He can just summon it back next turn."

"She has enough monsters on the board to win this turn, though." - Carla said after quickly doing some mental maths.

"Yeah, but he has two face-down cards, and I feel like she's probably going to find out what they are rather quickly." - Sara said.

"She can't do much else but attack at this point." - Jonas said, and Ella got ready to do just that, entering the Battle Phase.

" **Metalfoes Mithrilium** , attack **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**!" - she declared the first of her attacks.

"Trap Card, activate! **Bujin Regalia - The Jewel**!" - all too expected, Niall had a response to her attack - "Upon activation, The Jewel becomes an equip card to a Rank 4 monster I control, and grants it 300 ATK for each material it has!"

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** ATK 2500 + 300 = 2800

"That hasn't done much, **Mithrilium** is still stronger." - Carla said.

"But that extra ATK has ensured that he cannot lose this turn." Jonas remarked.

 **Niall:** LP 3800 - 100 = 3700

"It'll take more than that to destroy **Kagutsuchi** , I'm afraid!" - Niall said, detaching another Xyz Material from the monster to prevent its destruction.

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** ATK 2800 - 300 = 2500

"Good thing I've got more, then!" - Ella said and continued her barrage of attacks - " **Metalfoes Volflame** , attack **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**!" - this time the attack connected, and Kagutsuchi's bright flames evaporated, leaving nothing but smoke and an empty field.

 **Niall:** LP 3700 - 200 = 3500

"Finally, **Metalfoes Crimsonite** attacks directly!" - the fearsome warrior swung both his flaming blades towards Niall, causing him the first considerable damage this entire duel.

 **Niall:** LP 3500 - 3300 = 200

"See, if it hadn't been for that Trap, he would've lost there. That was its entire purpose." - Jonas said.

"I end my turn." - Ella said, disappointed that she couldn't finish Niall this turn.

"That was a novel attempt!" - Niall said, his voice breaking through the dust left by Crimsonite's attack. He continued once it finally settled.

 **Turn 7 - Niall (LP 200 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"Draw!" - he said - "Time to finish this!"

Ella tried to appear calm, and while she would usually ignore declarations of victory such as that one, she was more inclined to believe his words this time.

"Trap Card, activate! **Xyz Reborn**!" - the set card right in front of Niall revealed itself - "I summon **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** back from the graveyard, and attach this card to it as Xyz Material!"

Much like a phoenix, Kagutsuchi was resurrected from the ashes.

"That thing just won't die!" - Ella thought.

"Next, I place **Bujin Hiruko** in my Pendulum Scale!"

"What?" - Ella was quite clearly taken aback by Niall's move - "Since when do you have that?"

"I got it quite recently, not that you noticed." - Niall said - "It doesn't matter, though. What does matter is your impending loss. I activate **Bujin Hiruko** 's Pendulum Effect!"

The red-eyed demon, made of purple light, started ascending towards the sky, and vanished slowly.

"By banishing **Hiruko** from my Pendulum Zone, I can Xyz Summon a Bujin Xyz from my extra deck, by using **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** as material! Rise, brother of the Sun and the Moon, and strike fear into the hearts of the unrighteous! Come forth, striking god of unending storms! Xyz Evolution, **Bujintei Susanowo**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 1600)" - the new Xyz that materialized was covered in dark red armour, and a pair of glowing wings attached to its shoulders.

"There it is…" - Ella muttered.

"I activate **Susanowo** 's effect! By detaching an Xyz Material, I add **Bujingi Crane** from my deck to my hand!"

"It's over." - for the first time in this duel, Ella looked completely defeated.

"Battle!" - Niall declared - " **Bujintei Susanowo** , attack **Metalfoes Crimsonite**!"

"But his monster is weaker." - Carla said, and both duelists overheard her comment.

"By discarding **Bujingi Crane** …" - Niall started saying, but Ella finished the sentence.

"By discarding it, he can double **Susanowo** 's ATK." - she said, completely defeated at this point. Niall sent a card from his hand to the graveyard to seal his victory, and a golden crane soared up into the sky, and spread its wings. Its almost mesmerizing glow was the harbinger of Ella's doom.

 **Bujintei Susanowo:** ATK 2400 x 2 = 4800

"Attack!" - Niall exclaimed. Susanowo launched itself into the air, and used its wings to slowly glide down towards Crimsonite, cutting it clean in half, and creating a shockwave strong enough to knock Ella off her feet again.

 **Ella:** LP 500 - 500 = 0

Sara rushed over to Ella, while Niall looked over her near unconscious body.

"Are you okay?" - she asked. Ella nodded in reply, but didn't quite have the strength to get back up yet.

"Who's next?" - Niall asked.

Without hesitation, Carla started walking over to the spot where Ella recently stood.

"What are you doing?" - Jonas asked.

"I'll be fine." - she said.

"You saw what he did." - Jonas was still trying to persuade her to change her mind.

"Your friend there does have a point."

"I already told you I'll be fine." - Carla insisted - "So be quiet, both of you."

"Fine." - Jonas stepped back.

"Alright, if you're so keen to be beaten." - Niall already began taunting his new victim.

"Duel!" - they both declared.

* * *

Hannah stared at the ceiling, laying down on the bed, wasting what were possibly her final moments of free will.

"Maybe I should've accepted his offer." - she thought, but immediately shook her head - "No, there's no way I'm willingly helping that scum."

Faint footsteps echoed off the walls of the corridor on the other side of the door she was stuck behind. She sat up on her bed. Someone inserted a key into the lock, and started slowly opening the door.

"It's time to go." - they said.


	28. 131

**Chapter 28 - 131**

The door opened. A large, menacing looking man walked into the room, and grabbed Hannah by the arm before even saying anything. She somehow managed to wrest her arm out of his grip.

"I can get up myself, thank you very much." - she said, barely paying attention to the man that was here to take her away. She looked through the one of the windows in the room, and as dark clouds gathered overhead, the first drops of rain started hitting the glass panes. She turned her head back towards the man waiting for her, and walked past him and towards the door, completely ignoring him. She walked down the hallway, and the man closely followed her to make sure she wouldn't try to escape. But she didn't even consider running away a possibility. She pressed on, completely resigned to her fate. The man behind her received a message in his earpiece.

"Is everything ready?" - a voice asked.

"Affirm. Patient one hundred thirty-one is ready." - the man said as quietly as possible, as if Hannah didn't know what was about to happen to her.

"Good. Wait for me before you start the process."

"Alright." - the man confirmed.

They walked for what seemed like a very long minute, their footsteps echoing off the walls and playfully bouncing between the pillars.

"Wait here." - the man said quietly. They reached the end of their journey, and were standing in front of a large metallic door with faded, unreadable words on it. The hallway branched off from here.

"Who are we waiting for?" - Hannah asked, looking down the dark hallway to her left. She didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" - Vector's voice came out of the darkness.

" _Are you?_ " - Hannah asked with very little emotion in her voice - "This is the third time you asked me if I changed my mind."

Vector looked down at the floor in resignation. She turned her head away from him.

"The answer's still the same."

"Take her away." - Vector said, and looked into Hannah's eyes as the man next to her started opening the doors to the laboratory. - "It's a shame that it had to end like this."

"Rot in hell." - she replied.

* * *

The door closed.

 **Turn 1 - Carla (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll go first!" - Carla said, looking at the cards in her hand.

"Be my guest."

"I'll start by activating **Dinomist Charge**! When activated, it allows me to add a Dinomist card from my deck to my hand!" - her duel disk shuffled her deck, after which a card popped up on top of the deck, and she added it to her hand - "Now, I use the Scale 3 **Dinomist Spinos** and Scale 6 **Dinomist Ankylos** to set the Pendulum Scale!"

To her left appeared a metallic dinosaur, with a long neck and tail, its top half burgundy in colour, and the bottom half black. To her right was a smaller machine, entirely blue, with glowing spikes covering the metallic shell on its back.

"Now, I'll Pendulum Summon **Dinomist Plesios** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1400) in and **Dinomist Stegosaur** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1800) in defense position!"

A couple more mechanical reptiles appeared. The first one was blue, had a long segmented neck, and floated above the ground using two pairs of propellers placed where its fins would usually be. The other one was a bit wider and shorter, with its body covered in green protective panels, and a small spike-covered tail coming out its back.

"I'll set one card!" - a face-down card appeared in front of Carla, and she ended her turn.

"Is that seriously all you've got?" - Niall taunted her, in much the same fashion as he did his last opponent, and cracked his knuckles - "This shouldn't take too long."

 **Turn 2 - Niall (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I summon **Zoodiac Ratpier** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 0), and using its effect, send **Zoodiac Ramram** from my deck to the graveyard!"

The blonde-haired rapier-wielding rat appeared on Niall's field for the second duel running.

"This thing again?" - Carla asked.

"Yeah, and it's about to go off! Using the Level 4 **Zoodiac Ratpier** , I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Boarbow** , then using the Rank 4 **Boarbow** as material, I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Tigermortar**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - a large orange cannon appeared, with a blue eight-pointed star on the front of it. Riding on top of it was a tiger-tailed woman, wearing a blue and white uniform, barely managing not to fall down from her weapon.

"Using the effect of **Zoodiac Ratpier** attached to **Tigermortar** , I detach an Xyz Material from it, and summon another **Ratpier** from my deck! Then, I'll use **Tigermortar** 's effect, and by detaching one Xyz Material from it, I can reattach the **Ratpier** in my graveyard back to **Tigermortar** as material!"

"And then you'll overlay…" - Carla sighed, but couldn't even finish her sentence before Niall continued.

"And then I'll overlay **Zoodiac Tigermortar** into **Zoodiac Broadbull**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - the horned man that appeared swung his axe, and briefly lodged it into the ground, trying to appear threatening - "And, using his effect, I detach one Xyz Material, and add **Zoodiac Whiptail** from my deck to my hand! Then, I'll detach another Xyz Material from **Broadbull** , and summon another **Zoodiac Ratpier** from my deck!"

Niall paused for a moment and looked at his opponent. Carla was sat down on the floor, fiddling with her duel disk's touchscreen, reading the effects of cards on her field for amusement, even though she already knew all of them, and had a strategy planned out. Niall seemed slightly offended, but Carla wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his turn anymore.

"Are you quite done messing around?" - Niall asked.

"I'm fine, you carry on with your turn." - she teased him - "I'll be back with you in a minute."

Niall placed Zoodiac Barrage in his Spell and Trap Zone without even saying anything, using its effect to destroy Broadbull on his field, and summon Zoodiac Thoroughblade from his deck.

"Now, I'll overlay **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** into **Zoodiac Drident**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)"

"Of course you will." - Carla said. She seemed to be paying the slightest bit of attention to Niall's turn, but still dedicated the majority of her efforts towards twiddling her thumbs.

"Just a quick reminder, a Zoodiac monster gains the ATK and DEF of all its Xyz Materials." - he said, not paying attention to his opponent not paying attention

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 0 + 1600 = 1600

"Next, I'll attach **Zoodiac Whiptail** from my hand to **Drident** as Xyz Material!"

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 1600 + 1200 = 2800

"Finally, I'll overlay my two Level 4 **Zoodiac Ratpier**! Brought to life by the death of creation, the shining elder descends onto this mortal realm! Xyz Summon, the eternal god of fire! Rise, **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)" - the blue flaming warrior shook the ground as it descended upon it - "When **Kagutsuchi** is Xyz Summoned, I send five cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard, then **Kagutsuchi** gains 100 ATK for each Bujin card sent there this way!"

Niall picked up five cards from the top of his deck, and sent them to the graveyard, one by one. There was one sole Bujin card in that pile.

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** 2500 + 100 = 2600

"I guess it'd be a good time to remind you that, thanks to **Dinomist Plesios** , all monsters you control lose 100 ATK for each of my Dinomist cards." - Carla said, finally getting back up on her feet.

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** 2600 - 500 = 2100

 **Zoodiac Drident:** 2800 - 500 = 2300

"Now, are you finally ready to get going?" - she dusted herself off as Niall entered the Battle Phase.

" **Stegosaur** 's effect will destroy a monster that battles with a Pendulum Monster other than itself, so I need to get rid of it first." - he thought - " **Zoodiac Drident** , attack **Dinomist Stegosaur**!"

Carla elected to not activate any effects to prevent Stegosaur's destruction, and it exploded into bits

"Thanks to the effect of **Zoodiac Whiptail** attached to it, any monster that battles with **Drident** will get banished. Furthermore, thanks to **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** , you'll take piercing battle damage!"

 **Carla:** LP 4000 - 500 = 3500

"Now, **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** attacks **Dinomist Plesios**!" - a blue flame shot from Kagutsuchi's sword, but the attack didn't connect, stopping just short of the blue dinosaur.

"I activate the effect of **Dinomist Spinos** in the Pendulum Scale, destroying it instead of **Plesios**!" - Carla declared - "Furthermore, using the effect of **Dinomist Charge** , I can add **Spinos** from my extra deck to my hand!"

"I'm not done yet!" - Niall said - "I activate the effect of **Zoodiac Drident**! I'll detach an Xyz Material, and destroy **Dinomist Ankylos** in the Pendulum Scale!"

The effect received no response, and Ankylos was gone in an instant, consumed by an explosion, leaving Carla without anything in her Pendulum Scales.

"Now, since the number of Dinomist cards on your field has decreased, the ATK loss from **Plesios** is reduced to 200! And since I detached a material from **Drident** , her ATK goes down as well!"

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** ATK 2100 + 300 = 2400

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 2300 + 300 - 1200 = 1400

"I'll set one card, and end my turn!" - Niall declared.

"This isn't good!" - Jonas said, pointing out the obvious - "If she doesn't draw something to complete the scale, she's…"

He stopped himself after noticing a faint glow coming off the top of Carla's deck.

"It's here…" - Niall thought, noticing the same thing as Jonas.

 **Turn 3 - Carla (LP - 3500 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Dinomist Plesios, **Spells/Traps:** Dinomist Charge, 1 set **)**

"Draw!" - Carla smiled - "I place **Dinomist Spinos** in the Pendulum Scale! Then, **Dinomist Plesios** attacks **Zoodiac Drident**!"

"She probably didn't want to activate **Luster** so it wouldn't get destroyed." - Jonas thought - "But why activate only one card in the scale?"

"I activate **Drident** 's effect!" - Niall said - "I'll detach an Xyz Material, and destroy **Dinomist Plesios**!"

"You should know better than that!" - Carla said - "I use the effect of **Dinomist Spinos** , destroying it in place of **Plesios** , meaning its attack can go through!"

 **Zoodiac Drident:** ATK 1600 - 1600 = 0

 **Niall:** LP 4000 - 1700 = 2300

"You got a bit sloppy there." - Carla said - "Now, thanks to **Dinomist Charge** , I add **Spinos** back to my hand!"

"So instead of risking it by attempting a Pendulum Summon, she tries to get rid of one of the threats first." - Jonas concluded - "Not bad. Now let's see where she goes from here."

"Using the Scale 3 **Dinomist Spinos** and Scale 5 **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - Carla continued - "Now, I'll Pendulum Summon **Dinomist Ankylos** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2000) from my extra deck!"

The dinosaur that was in Carla's scale not too long ago now appeared on the field.

"Then, I'll use **Luster** 's effect, and by destroying **Dinomist Spinos** , I can add another copy of it from my deck to my hand!"

"This is all fine by me." - Niall thought - " **Luster** is a lacklustre Scale in Dinomists, and she cannot do much while it's stuck in the Pendulum Zone."

"I activate the Trap Card **Pendulum Switch**!" - Carla said.

"What?"

"Using its effect, I Special Summon **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** (LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 0) from my Pendulum Zone!"

"That was unexpected." - Niall thought - "Guess I better brace for what's about to happen."

"I Tribute **Luster Pendulum** and **Dinomist Ankylos**!" - Luster gracefully flew into the air, and Ankylos' armour started detaching itself from the mechanical beast, leaving the once impressive machine completely bare. The blue armour then started attaching itself to Luster's limbs and body - "Combine! The power of the Dinomists and the might of the Dracoslayers! The earth you swore to protect trembles before your might, and the seas you rule drown out the screams of your enemies! Fusion Summon, **Dinoster Power, the Mighty Dracoslayer**! (WATER/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2000/DEF 2950)"

A large, fearsome humanoid dragon appeared, completely covered in thick blue armour, holding a large shield in its left hand and an even bigger blade in the right. Thunder struck in the distance as it descended onto the field, and the first drops of rain were bouncing off its armour.

"While **Dinoster** is on the field, Pendulums, be it in the Monster or Pendulum Zone, cannot be destroyed at all." - Carla said - "I place **Dinomist Spinos** in the Pendulum Scale, and end my turn!"

"I expected **Dinoster** , but why did she leave a lone card in the Pendulum Scale?" - Niall asked himself.

"So, are you going to play or not?" - Carla said after Niall spent about a minute in his thoughts.

 **Turn 4 - Niall (LP - 2300 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Bujintei Kagutsuchi, **Spells/Traps:** Zoodiac Barrage, 1 set **)**

" **Dinoster** is definitely a pain to get past." - Niall thought as he drew a card - "Shouldn't be too difficult, though. In fact, I know exactly how to do it."

Niall looked at his set card.

"If this all goes through with no issues, I'll win this turn. That's a big if, though." - he continued his train of thought - "Well, let's get going then! I destroy **Zoodiac Barrage** using its own effect, Special Summoning **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 0) from the deck! Using **Thoroughblade** 's effect, I send **Zoodiac Combo** from my hand to the graveyard, and draw a card!"

"I don't have a good feeling about this." - Carla thought as she watched Niall get on with his turn - " **Dinoster** is only here to buy me some time, I have no doubts he'll get past it. Really, it's only here so I live to see the next turn, and even that's doubtful."

"Next, I Normal Summon **Zoodiac Kataroost**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 1200)"- Niall continued - "Then, by using the Level 4 **Zoodiac Thoroughblade** and **Zoodiac Kataroost** as Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Broadbull**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)" - a large bull-like man appeared, with an oversized bronze glove on his right hand, wielding a giant axe - "Then, I'll use **Broadbull** 's effect!"

"This adds a Level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior monster from his deck to his hand." - Carla thought.

"If he adds **Whiptail** to his hand, he can attach it to any of his Xyz Monsters, then banish **Dinoster** whenever they battle." - Jonas said under his breath.

"Doubt it." - Sara overheard him - "He'll probably use the same strategy he did against Ella."

"Wait, do you mean…"

"I add **Bujin Hiruko** from my deck to my hand, and place it in my Pendulum Scale!" - Niall said.

"Yes, I meant that." - Sara said.

"Is Ella fine, by the way?" - Jonas asked.

"A bit shaken up, but she'll be fine."

" **Hiruko** allows him to use a Bujin Xyz Monster as material for another." - Carla thought - "So, what are you going to do?"

"I banish **Bujin Hiruko** from my Pendulum Scale and use the Rank 4 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** as Xyz Material! Approach, divine goddess of the universe and sister of the seas! Shine bright as a jewel as the sun reflects off your divine blade, and rid the world of its wicked shadows! Xyz Evolution, **Bujinki Amaterasu**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2600/DEF 2500)" - the divine spirit that slowly descended upon the field wielded a sword in her right hand. The top half of her body was covered in jet-black and silver armour, with a bright golden jewel encrusted in the middle of the chest piece. The bottom half of her body was largely unarmoured, covered in a dress made of purple flames dancing wildly in the wind.

"So, that's what he was going for." - Carla thought - "Let's see what this thing can do."

"I use **Amaterasu** 's effect, and by detaching one Xyz Material from the card, I can Special Summon one of my banished Bujin monsters! Come back, **Bujin Hiruko**! (LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 2000) Next, I'll use the Rank 4 **Zoodiac Broadbull** as Xyz Material, and Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Tigermortar**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)"

"Thanks to the effect of **Dinomist Plesios** , all your monsters will lose 300 ATK!"

 **Bujinki Amaterasu:** ATK 2600 - 300 = 2300

 **Zoodiac Tigermortar:** ATK 1600 - 300 = 1300

 **Bujin Hiruko:** ATK 1000 - 300 = 700

"And I'm afraid that you can't get past **Dinoster** with just…"

"Yeah, but I'm not done!" - Niall interrupted her - "Trap Card, activate! **Bujinfidel**! By tributing **Bujin Hiruko** , I can Special Summon a Beast-Warrior Bujin monster from my graveyard!"

"So, he's just swapping one monster from another?" - Jonas said.

"But this one should be much more powerful, if he's played his cards right."

"Rise once more, **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**!" - Niall exclaimed in glee as his ace monster appeared in front of him again.

 **Bujintei Kagutsuchi:** ATK 2500 - 300 = 2200

"Now, I use the effect of **Zoodiac Tigermortar**! By detaching one Xyz Material from her, I attach **Zoodiac Kataroost** in my graveyard to **Bujintei Kagutsuchi**! Thanks to that, I can now negate any monster effect that targets it!"

"I get the feeling he's not done." - Sara said.

"Looking at the fact none of his monsters are strong enough to get past **Dinoster** , I get the feeling you're right." - Jonas added.

"Using **Zoodiac Tigermortar** as Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon **Zoodiac Drident**! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK ?/DEF ?)"

"And there it is…" - Carla thought.

"And, by using **Drident** 's effect, I destroy **Dinoster Power, the Mighty Dracoslayer** by detaching an Xyz Material!" - Drident swung her giant trident Dinoster's way, and the dragon didn't stand a chance.

"And there it goes…"

"Battle Phase! **Bujintei Kagutsuchi** , attack **Dinomist Plesios**!"

The mechanical dinosaur was consumed by the fire. Carla made no attempts to save her monster from destruction. Thanks to the effect of Dinomist Charge, the destroyed Plesios returned to her hand in an instant.

 **Carla:** LP 3500 - 500 = 0

"She's got no monsters on the field." - Niall thought - "But, that pesky **Pendulum Switch** is still there. However, there's an answer for everything!"

" **Bujinki Amaterasu** , direct attack!" - Niall declared.

"I activate the effect of **Pendulum Switch** …" - Carla responded.

"Of course you do." - Niall thought.

"From the Pendulum Scale, I Special Summon **Dinomist Spinos**! (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800)" - the burgundy dinosaur reappeared in front of Carla as she hung on to whatever hope she had left of winning this duel.

"Do you think that's going to stop me?" - Niall said, ecstatic with the fact things were going exactly as he planned - "By banishing **Bujingi Sinyou** from my graveyard, **Amaterasu** will gain **Spinos** ' ATK during damage calculation only!"

 **Bujinki Amaterasu:** ATK 2600 + 2500 = 5100

"When did that get in the graveyard?" - Sara asked.

"He must've milled it with **Kagutsuchi** 's effect." - Jonas thought.

"Luckily for you, all damage you take from this attack is halved." - Niall explained as the last monster on Carla's field crumbled into a mess of broken parts.

 **Carla:** LP 3000 - 1300 = 1700

"Finally, **Zoodiac Drident** attacks directly!"

 **Carla:** LP 1700 - 1600 = 100

Drident slammed her weapon into the ground, and the force of the impact knocked Carla back.

"This card will take care of a few of her monsters next turn." - Niall looked at a Trap in his hand, then set it - "I end my turn!"

"Stop this!" - Jonas demanded.

"Nah." - Carla ignored his plea, effortlessly getting back up on her feet - "You really think I can't beat him?"

"Yes." - Niall said.

 **Turn 5 - Carla (LP - 100 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Dinomist Charge, Pendulum Switch **)**

"Watch me!" - Carla drew what was possibly her last card, and looked at it - "Well, that's lucky."

"What did she get?" - Niall thought, then shook his head, trying to convince himself that it doesn't matter - "Whatever it is, she's going to have a hard time getting out of this."

Carla grabbed the leftmost card in her hand, and slowly turned it around.

"I activate **Pot of Desires**!" - she said - "By banishing ten cards from the top of my deck face-down, I can draw two more cards!"

"You're damn lucky." - Niall scoffed at her. Carla shrugged.

"Now, using the Scale 3 **Dinomist Ceratops** and Scale 6 **Dinomist Plesios** , I set the Pendulum Scale!"

"There's no point in destroying any of her scales right now, she'd just get them back with **Charge**." - Niall weighed his options - "Besides, I have a backup plan."

"Next, from my extra deck, I Pendulum Summon two **Dinomist Spinos** , **Dinomist Ankylos** and **Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer**!"

"Trap, activate! **Deep Dark Trap Hole**! This will banish all Level 5 or higher monsters you Special Summoned! And, since it doesn't destroy anything, you cannot use your scales to protect them!"

A giant hole in the ground opened beneath the two Spinos, consuming both of them as gravity took its course.

"I already got rid of **Dinoster** , so that **Luster** is practically useless now, and with this, I eliminated the threat of any Rank 5 Xyz coming my way as well." - Niall thought, satisfied with the fact that everything was unfolding exactly as planned - "I've got this in the bag now!"

Carla smiled, revealing the last card in her hand.

"That's not going to do anything!" - she said - "If you control the monster on the field with the highest ATK, I can Special Summon **Dinomist Brachion** (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 800) from my hand!"

A large, long-necked purple dinosaur appeared, almost resembling a tank due to the large pair of tracks attached either side of the main chassis, and a variety of different weapons appended to it.

"Battle! **Dinomist Brachion** , attack **Zoodiac Drident**!" - a burst of water shot out of Brachion's mouth, drowning the dragon - "And thanks to the effect of **Dinomist Ankylos** , any monster destroyed in battle by a Dinomist monster gets banished!"

 **Niall:** LP 2300 - 400 = 1900

"Now, I activate the effect of **Pendulum Switch** , and Special Summon **Dinomist Ceratops** (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2100/DEF 400) from the Pendulum Scale!"

"So I couldn't prevent a Rank 5 after all." - Niall thought.

"Using the Level 5 **Dinomist Ceratops** and **Dinomist Brachion** , I Xyz Summon **Cyber Dragon Nova**! (LIGHT/Machine/Rank 5/ATK 2100/DEF 1600)"

"So, you wanted to bring that out since the start of the turn?" - Niall asked.

"I'm not done yet." - Carla said

"Huh?"

"Now, I use the Rank 5 **Cyber Dragon Nova** as Xyz Material! Pitch-black titanium body to withstand the test of time, and magnificent wings of steel to soar to the heavens, combine and create the harbinger of the eternal quietus! Xyz Evolution! Break them down, **Cyber Dragon Infinity**! (LIGHT/Machine/Rank 6/ATK 2100/DEF 1600)"

A fearsome dragon appeared behind Carla after a bright flash of light. Its body was composed of many hexagonal segments, half-silver, half-black. Lightning struck the ground behind the dragon as it spread its razor-sharp wings and let out a piercing robotic roar loud enough to silence the approaching thunderstorm. Niall was awestruck, and had nothing to say as Carla went on with her turn.

"I activate **Cyber Dragon Infinity** 's effect! Once per turn, I can attach an attack position monster on the field to it as Xyz Material!" - she declared - "Come to me, **Bujinki Amaterasu**!"

The once-mighty Amaterasu turned into a harmless orb of light which started circling around Cyber Dragon Infinity as the number of its Xyz Materials went up from three to four.

"Also, it gains 200 ATK for each material attached to it!"

 **Cyber Dragon Infinity:** 2100 + 4 x 200 = 2900

"With **Infinity** on my field, I can negate anything he does once per turn. Safe to say he won't have the easiest time getting past it." - Carla thought - "That'll do it for my turn!" - she said.

"Wasn't expecting that." - Niall thought - "Guess she did have something up her sleeve in the end."

 **Turn 6 - Niall (LP - 1900 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Bujintei Kagutsuchi **)**

"Draw!" - he said, and looked at the drawn card - "This won't be enough! I activate the effect of **Zoodiac Combo** in my graveyard! By banishing it, I can shuffle **Zoodiac Drident** , **Tigermortar** , **Broadbull** , **Boarbow** and **Ratpier** into the deck, then draw a card!"

His reaction to the next card he drew was much more positive, and he couldn't help but smile.

"What has he drawn?" - Jonas asked quietly.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." - Sara said.

"I'll admit, you've lasted longer than I expected!" - Niall said - "But it all comes to an end here!"

The thunderstorm continued its creeping approach towards the battlefield, and the rain was intensifying. Niall briefly paused his turn, either to gather himself, or just to appear more ominous, then let out a maniacal laugh.

"Prepare for your demise! I destroy **Zoodiac Bunnyblast** and **Zoodiac Ramram** in my hand! The king of death approaches this battlefield…"

"That's enough." - a female voice came from behind Niall, interrupting his ecstatic chant. Before he could even turn around to see who it was, he received a swift elbow to the neck, and fainted almost instantly, ending the duel on the spot. As he helplessly collapsed to the ground, the culprit behind this stoppage revealed herself, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hannah?" - everyone exclaimed in unison, barring Daniel, who was still passed out.

"What are you doing here?" - Jonas asked.

"You'll find out soon." - Hannah didn't even attempt to answer the question - "For now, follow me inside."

She already started heading towards the grand entrance to the building, though not everyone was keen to follow her.

"Are you sure we should trust her?" - Sara asked as she and Jonas picked up Daniel's unconscious body.

"I have my doubts." - Jonas answered quietly - "But we're probably better off following her regardless. We came to find Vector, after all, and he's definitely in there. Also, why would she interrupt Niall's turn like that?"

"Guess you're right." - Sara nodded.

Hannah had already reached the door while the rest of the group were slowly making their way towards her.

"Hurry up and get inside, guys!" - she smiled - "The storm is coming."


	29. Dancing on the Crumbling Precipice

**Chapter 29 - Dancing on the Crumbling Precipice**

 **Eight years ago**

"I end my turn." - Ella said, looking at her empty playmat and a pair of scales in her hand.

"It's his birthday, I'll let him win this once." - she thought.

"Then, I'll just attack directly with **Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack**!" - Ian said, picking up the Xyz Monster and enthusiastically pointing it towards his sister. Ella grabbed a pen and underlined her previous life points on the piece of paper they were using to track them, and wrote 0 beneath the line.

"You got me." - she said, and patted her brother on the head. As soon as she got up, the sound of a door closing came from the bottom floor of their house.

"Ian?" - a female voice came from downstairs.

"They're back." - Ella said, but Ian was already halfway out the room. He started rushing downstairs, and almost took a tumble on his way there.

"How's grandpa doing?" - Ella asked her mother from the top of the stairs.

"He's alright. He said he was planning to visit for Ian's birthday, but his doctor told him that he shouldn't leave the house for the next week or so."

This news didn't come as a surprise to anyone, but Ian was still visibly disappointed.

"However, he did send you something special for your birthday." - his mother continued, taking a small metal box out of her bag, and Ian immediately lightened up. She started slowly opening it.

"What's that?" - he asked.

"It's his deck!" - she said once the box was fully open - "He figured he'd pass it on since he has no use for it anymore."

"Is that the deck he used to win the International Duel Championship?"

"The very same one."

Ian was left in shock, staring at the bright red deck of cards for half a minute, not knowing what to say. He then grabbed the box and rushed back, nearly bumping into his sister along the way. As both their parents already disappeared into different sections of the house, she retreated back into her room. After about ten minutes, Ian peeked in.

"Want to duel?" - he whispered.

"We already dueled three times today, give it a rest."

"But I got a new deck." - Ian insisted.

"It's Sunday tomorrow, we'll have time."

Ian left her room without saying anything, slightly disappointed that he couldn't immediately test his new deck.

"And close the door behind you!" - Ella shouted.

* * *

Ian woke up in his improvised bed, face-to-face with a large spider. Panicked, he rolled sideways from his couch-turned-bed, and landed on the rotting wooden floor. After a minute of him staring at the ceiling, he got up, dusted himself off, and headed for the exit of the grotesque house he spent the night in.

"So, where do I go now?" - Ian asked himself, and looked around in the vain hope of seeing someone or something on the horizon, but to no avail. He headed in a direction he thought would lead him home. After roughly twenty minutes of walking the wasteland, and as soon as he started approaching a row of seemingly abandoned houses, the screen on his duel disk lit up.

"Duel disk detected." - it read, signalling someone was nearby. Ian's first instinct was to look for cover, in case any Fiends were still on the lookout for him, but there was nothing in the vicinity that he could hide behind. Luckily, his surroundings were as barren as ever, so he started looking around for the source of the signal.

"Whoever it is, they're probably in one of those houses over there." - he thought.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to duel?" - Marco asked.

"Be quiet." - Francis replied.

"Come on…"

"I said _be quiet_. Someone's coming our way."

Marco looked out the window, and realized why Francis wasn't too keen on talking to him.

"Is it a Fiend?"

"Can't make anything out quite yet, but get your duel disk ready just in case."

While Marco scrambled around trying to find his duel disk, Francis went outside. As soon as the approaching figure noticed him, they started running towards the house. After a minute, an out of breath 15-year-old boy approached Francis, barely stopping himself from collapsing onto his knees.

"Are… are you a Fiend?" - Ian asked in between deep breaths. Francis didn't reply, and instead helped him get inside the house. Marco was waiting for him in the living room, carrying a duel disk.

"It's fine, he's not dangerous." - Francis said as Ian stumbled his way towards one of the couches.

"Who is this?" - Damien appeared on top of the stairs after hearing some commotion.

"I was just about to ask him that." - Francis said - "Give him time to catch his breath."

"Ian." - the boy replied after about a minute - "My name's Ian."

"Wait…" - Marco said, and his eyes widened as if he had an epiphany.

"You know him?" - Damien asked.

"Not precisely." - Francis replied, and looked at Ian, who seemed slightly confused - "You wouldn't happen to have a sister?"

Ian nodded.

"And her name is Ella, right?"

"Do you know where she is?" - Ian asked immediately after realizing these people could help him - "I've been looking for her."

"Well, as it so happens, she's been looking for you as well." - Francis said - "She heard Vector took you, so she went looking for you there."

"So, you mean to tell me that I have to go back there?"

"Or you can stay with us." - Marco said - "But tell me, how did you get out in the first place?"

"You guys know Niall?" - Ian asked, and both listeners nodded - "I don't know how he even got there, but he helped me escape by distracting the guards. God knows what they did to him later."

"Well, since we now know who you are, feel free to stay with us." - Francis said after a minute or quiet, but Ian barely listened to him, and was already headed for the door.

"Or you could go find your sister. Your choice." - Francis stated Ian's other option while the latter was already halfway out the house.

"Your death sentence." - he whispered.

* * *

"So, how exactly did you manage to get away from Vector?" - Sara asked.

"I didn't." - Hannah said - "He was seconds away from turning me into a Fiend, but I agreed to play along at the last moment."

"So, he now thinks you're working with him?"

Hannah nodded in reply.

"Where are we going?" - Carla asked.

"To wherever Vector is, hopefully."

"You know where he is?"

"I know where he should be, at least."

"Did you…" - Ella spoke up - "Did you see Ian anywhere?"

"I saw someone around his age." - Hannah said - "It was probably him, but don't quote me on that."

"Who else could it be, though?" - Ella asked.

"I can't be sure, because I don't know what he looks like, that's why I said it's _probably_ him."

"Did they turn him into a Fiend?"

"No idea, I only saw him very briefly." - a long pause came after Hannah's reply, as the group continued walking in silence.

"We shouldn't be too far away now." - immediately after she said this, they turned a corner, and continued down an identical hallway towards a large closed door at the end of it. Before she went to open the door, Hannah turned around to check if everyone was still following her. It didn't take long for her to notice someone was missing.

"Where's Jonas?" - she asked, after she made sure. Everyone started looking around, clearly as confused by this situation as Hannah was.

"He's probably gone to investigate." - Sara thought, understandably deciding to stay quiet.

"Where the hell has he snuck off to?" - Hannah thought - "This puts a dent in my plan. Can't just let him wander around this place, but I also can't leave these guys on their own."

"I can go look for him if you want." - Carla offered.

"No need. I'll go and find him myself if he doesn't come back." - Hannah shook her head, then spent a minute trying to think of the best course of action in this situation.

"Time to improvise." - she thought, turning around to open the door.

* * *

"I don't trust her one bit." - Jonas thought, sneaking around the empty hallways, but always keeping an eye out for any Fiends that were bound to be roaming around - "But, even if she is telling the truth, you don't need six people to defeat one guy."

He looked around the corner to check if someone was there, but the next in the line of long halls was also predictably empty.

"There's also the possibility that she's been turned into a Fiend, and that she's leading everyone into a trap, in which case it's probably better if I try and find Vector myself." - Jonas' train of thought continued as he tried to justify to himself why he split off from the group, which he thought was a good idea at the time, but he was getting less and less convinced with each passing step - "Whichever one of those is true, I didn't need to stay with them. So, I might as well have a look around."

Jonas continued roaming, almost relaxed at this point, and after a while, decided to enter a random room to his left.

"Completely empty, no surprises here." - he thought, walking over to one of the dusty desks in the corner of the room. He opened the top drawer, finding nothing of interest but a couple sheets of paper with research notes scribbled on them. All other drawers were either filled with more math-filled papers, or were simply empty. He headed for the door, and carefully closed it behind him so as to not make any noise, immediately after which he went to the room on the opposite side of the hallway.

This one was much larger, and looked like it could have been a library at some point in time. Though most of the books were gone, the smell of old, slightly damp paper still permeated the tightly packed bookshelves. Jonas walked past them, only briefly glancing at the occasional book, less out of interest and more because of boredom. He was headed for the door at the end of the room, and tried to open it. Despite the doorknob almost coming loose, he managed to do so on the third attempt, upon which he accidentally slammed the door into the wall behind it. The doorknob had finally had enough and fell to the floor, making a loud noise as it hit the wooden floorboards.

"I'm in." - Jonas whispered to himself, as if someone was actually listening to him. The room he now entered was barely big enough for one person to fit in it, as the wooden furniture dominated most of the room. In one corner of it was a rotting wooden desk, with a computer on it that probably barely worked while everyone was still alive. Opposite it was a cabinet with a lamp on it, in slightly better condition than the desk, but still gave off an unpleasant smell. While turning around, Jonas accidentally touched the base of the lamp, upon which it turned on.

"How the hell does this thing still work?" - he asked nobody while his eyes were adjusting to this sudden influx of light - "And how do I turn it off?"

He looked around for some type of a switch. After he couldn't find any, he tapped the base a couple more times, and the lamp turned off, leaving Jonas' eyes to adjust again. He then started carefully opening the drawers of the cabinet, but again couldn't find anything more interesting than a load of papers that tracked when a book was borrowed, organized by date. He closed the drawers, but immediately opened them again, noticing a discrepancy.

"The top one seems to contain the most recently borrowed books." - he thought, listing through the files - "Then why are all these dates some eighty years after we left our dimension?"

After roughly a minute of deliberation, he put the papers back where they belonged, and carefully closed the drawers.

"It's probably not what I think it is." - he mumbled - "They probably just observe a different calendar to ours, or something like that. A week ago I didn't even think interdimensional travel was possible, so some inconsistency between dates is hardly something to get worked up over."

He turned on his heel, and faced the last piece of furniture in the undersized room: a giant set of shelves. Curiously, these didn't contain paperwork, nor did they have books on them, or anything else you would expect. Instead, the shelves were lined with small, plastic boxes.

"Now, what's this?" - he thought as he reached for one of them, and upon opening it, found a deck of cards.

"So, this is where they keep the Fiends' decks." - he thought, and started looking through the deck - "Or rather, the decks of they used to use before they were turned into Fiends. No wonder they give them new decks, this one doesn't seem particularly good."

He put the deck back into its place, careful not to kick up any dust.

"Why am I worried about leaving everything as it was when I found it?" - he thought - "The doorknob fell of, I'm pretty sure they'll be able to tell that someone was here."

He grabbed another deck box, and started looking through it, but received an epiphany halfway through taking the deck out of its storage. He started frantically looking for any green deck boxes he could find. Of the three of them he saw, he grabbed a random one, opened it, and took the deck out.

"Well, mystery solved." - he said, looking at the Majespecter Unicorn in his hand - "There's no way she would've just left this behind."

He put the card back, and turned around to head back into the library. As soon as he did so, someone closed the library door.

"Took them long enough." - he thought, taking cover behind one of the bookshelves. However, the Fiend quite clearly wasn't looking for Jonas, and instead went to the room he just exited. Immediately upon entering, he noticed the fallen door handle giving away the fact that someone was in that room before him. This gave Jonas just enough time to sneak towards the exit.

"That was close." - he thought, trying to close the library door behind him as quietly as possible, but was face-to-face with another Fiend as soon as he turned around. He immediately raised his duel disk, expecting the Fiend to do the same.

"I don't have time to duel you." - he said - "Now follow me."

"And what if I won't?" - Jonas asked.

"Continue asking stupid questions, and you might just find out."

They walked for five minutes, both dead silent. Their silence was interrupted by the Fiend knocking on a large door, and they spent half a minute more waiting for whoever was behind it to answer.

"What do you want?" - Vector asked as soon as the door opened, but the Fiend didn't even get a chance to reply, as Vector immediately noticed Jonas.

"It's fine, you can go." - he instructed the Fiend - "I'll take care of this nuisance."

He pulled Jonas through the door, and closed it.

"Why aren't you with your friends?"

"So Hannah wasn't taking them to where you were after all." - Jonas decided to not answer the question they both knew the answer to anyway.

"Oh really?" - Vector asked sarcastically - "Just how did you figure that out?"

"What is your plan?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"You were just guiding them into a trap the entire time?"

"Indeed I was." - Vector smiled - "And you were supposed to be with them, but you just had to snoop around, didn't you?"

"What are you going to do with them?" - Jonas insisted.

"Again, why would I tell you?" - Vector repeated himself - "Though, you don't have to worry, most of them will be fine. As soon as the remaining two Dracoslayer holders are defeated, and I have what I want, you can all leave for all I care!"

"Wait, one of the Dracoslayer holders is…" - Jonas thought, and started running for the door, which was firmly locked.

"God, you're dense." - Vector said with his head in his arms - "Did you really think you were going anywhere? And besides, what would you do if you went back there anyways? At this point, your friends have already realized that they've all been led into a trap, and Fiend 131 is probably explaining what they need to do."

"Fiend 131 has a name, you know."

"Not anymore."

Jonas glared at Vector with a stare of pure hate.

"Don't look at me like that! She had every opportunity to cooperate, and refused to work with me. So, I did what had to be done."

"Who would even want to cooperate with you?" - Jonas asked.

"You, in a minute." - Vector said - "Fortunately for you, we're quite busy at the moment, so here's how this will go. You don't want to help me. I know you don't. But, I will give you a few choices, and you decide what you want to do."

"I don't think I'll like any of them."

"I don't care." - Vector cut Jonas off - "Your first option is that you agree to work for me until all of this is over. Of course, I'll put you under surveillance, so you don't think about doing anything stupid."

"And what's my other option?"

"Your other option is a duel. Right here, right now. You win, and I let you go, so you can spend more time roaming around and doing nothing."

"And if I lose?"

"Let's just say you're better off not knowing." - Vector said, and Jonas understood the implications of a loss despite his vague answer - "So, what is it going to be?"

Jonas didn't say a word, and just raised his duel disk.

"A duel it is." - Vector nodded - "Well then, let's get going."


	30. Hellbent

**Chapter 30 - Hellbent**

Daniel was woken up by someone shouting.

"You said you would take us to where Vector was!" - Sara said.

"I did." - Hannah nodded.

"And he's not here."

"You are correct."

Sara started pacing around the room as Daniel managed to get back up on his feet.

"So, you're working with Vector?" - Ella straight to the chase. Hannah sarcastically clapped a couple of times in response.

"Well done, you figured it out." - she said - "It seems one of you was smarter than the others, but I'm sure Jonas will be taken care of in due time."

Carla rushed towards the door they all came through, and nobody attempted to stop her. After her attempts to open it were met with failure, she sat down on the floor in defeat. Hannah turned to face her.

"You're stuck in here with me." - she smiled - "Now get up!"

"So, what happens now?" - Ella asked.

"Oh, look who's finally conscious again." - Hannah said, looking at Daniel, who seemed rather confused by the whole situation - "Sorry, yeah. What happens now is that you all listen to what I say. You listen to me, or you're dead."

"As if you're going to kill us." - Ella said.

"I will not, you're right." - Hannah then turned towards Carla and Daniel - "However, those two will."

* * *

 **Turn 1 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I have no idea what he's playing so it's best to start off safe." - Jonas thought - "I activate **Fire Formation - Tenki** , adding **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** from my deck to my hand!"

A burning orange ball of fire appeared in front of Jonas, shining brightly.

"Now, I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 100)"

A long-haired man appeared in front of him, dressed in decorated black regalia, wearing a blue cape on his back, and was accompanied by a rooster made of light blue flames.

"Using the effect of **Rooster** , I send **Fire Formation - Tenki** to the graveyard, and set **Fire Formation - Tensu** from the deck, then activate it!"

The orange fireball in front of Tenki was extinguished, quickly to be replaced with another.

"Using **Tensu** 's effect, I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200) Then, I tune the Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** with the Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! Descend, oh grand protector of justice and high commander of the heavenly spirits! Rise to the skies like a phoenix, rain down fire on the unjust, and gaze upon this wretched land that will soon be yours! Synchro Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200)"

A lightly armoured man appeared, riding a fearsome spectral horse made of black fire. A flame surged from the fireball behind them, and swirled around the man and his steed a couple of times before evaporating.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Prince:** ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300

"Then, I use its effect to Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 200) from my deck! Using its effect, I tribute **Leopard** and set **Fire Formation - Tensen** from my deck!"

A vertical face-down card appeared in front of Jonas, right next to the fireball representing Tensu.

"I end my turn."

 **Turn 2 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Starting off safe, are we?" - Vector said - "Are you scared?"

"I'm dueling for my life, so you could say that I'm a bit worried." - Jonas replied.

"But it's not as fun if people cower in fear." - Vector smirked - "Patient 131 stared me straight in the eyes as I sent her in for conversion."

"Stop calling her that!"

"If more people were like her, you wouldn't even be here right now." - Vector continued - "But they were all weak!"

"So, you took advantage of that and destroyed this world."

"I saved this world!" - Vector shouted - "And the fight is still not over, but that's none of your concern! First, I activate **Amorphous Persona** , which gives all Amorphage monsters 300 ATK and DEF!"

Fifteen pillars rose up from the ground, and crashed into the ceiling, enclosing the duel field in a circle.

"Now, using the Scale 3 **Amorphage Greed** , and Scale 5 **Amorphage Lechery** , I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Two draconic creatures appeared either side of Vector, an orange dragon with the back of a hedgehog to his left, and a smaller red one to his right, with black claws and two tails, one of a dragon, the other that of a scorpion.

"Now, I Pendulum Summon two **Amorphage Envy** from my hand! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 2050)"

 **Amorphage Envy:** DEF 2050 + 300 = 2350

Two creatures appeared, both still largely resembling white squids, with a dragon's head growing out of a random place on their bodies. Their tentacles were wriggling around, helplessly trying to resist the infection in any way possible as the dragon was slowly taking over the animal's entire body.

"Then, I activate **Amorphage Infection** , which will further increase the stats of my monsters for every Amorphage card I control!"

 **Amorphage Envy:** DEF 2350 + 5 x 100 = 2850

"All that talk, and that's the best you can do?" - Jonas asked.

"I've got you on the ropes already!" - Vector said - "Thanks to the Pendulum Effect of **Amorphage Greed** , you cannot activate Trap Cards, and **Amorphage Lechery** prevents you from activating any Spells. Oh, and since **Amorphage Envy** was Pendulum Summoned, you cannot Summon anything from your extra deck. Now then, go on."

"So, his plan is to stop me from doing anything." - Jonas thought as he drew a card - "Alright then, I'll play along."

 **Turn 3 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince, **Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tensu, 1 set **)**

"I Normal Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1000), and using its effect, I send **Fire Formation - Tensu** to the graveyard, and destroy your **Amorphage Greed**!"

"Getting desperate already?" - Vector asked.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" - Jonas said - "Next, I activate **Fire Formation - Tensen** , giving my Beast-Warriors 300 ATK, and **Horse Prince** an additional 700."

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla:** 1600 + 300 = 1900

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** 2200 + 300 + 700 = 3200

"Now, **Horse Prince** attacks **Amorphage Envy**!" - the burning horse galloped over to the half-dragon, and set it ablaze. The dragon shrieked one last time before turning into a pile of ash, and the squid it possessed was finally put out of its misery.

"Useless!" - Vector said - "I activate the effect of **Amorphage Infection** , and since a monster on my field was destroyed, I add **Amorphage Sloth** from my deck to my hand!"

"There's not much more I can do." - Jonas thought - "I guess his strategy is working for now."

"Since you're someone who's apparently dueling for their life, that sure was unimpressive."

"I end my turn." - Jonas said, ignoring Vector's taunts.

 **Turn 4 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphage Envy, **Spells/Traps:** Amorphage Infection, Amorphous Persona, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Lechery **)**

"Draw!" - Vector started his turn - "But, before we get to anything else, I tribute the remaining **Amorphage Envy** to keep **Lechery** on the field. And that's not all, because now, since I tributed a monster, **Amorphous Persona** lets me draw a card, and **Amorphage Infection** adds **Amorphage Gluttony** from my deck to my hand!"

Vector stopped briefly to take a breath, then continued.

"Next, I use the Scale 3 **Amorphage Sloth** , to set the Pendulum Scale again!"

An olive-coloured dragon appeared, draining energy from a bear which still looked alive. The infection was almost done consuming its victim.

"Then, from the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon two **Amorphage Envy** and **Amorphage Greed**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 1950)"

 **Amorphage Envy:** DEF 2050 + 300 + 6 x 100 = 2950

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 1950 + 300 + 6 x 100 = 2850

"Go on then, it's your turn." - Vector said.

* * *

"What do you mean, they'll kill us?" - Sara asked, still pacing around the room.

"I once accidentally stepped on a spider and felt bad!" - Carla said - "How am I going to kill anyone?"

"Well you won't, not in the state you're in right now." - Hannah replied.

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that there's something dormant inside you. Waiting to be released. And when it happens, people will die. And you, Daniel..." - Hannah turned on a heel to face him - "You've been suspiciously quiet this entire time."

"Well, when you're accusing us of..." - Daniel started defending himself, but sat down on the floor again once he was interrupted.

"You've noticed, haven't you?" - Hannah said in a half-whisper, then turned to face the rest of the group - "And you've all noticed. And I've noticed. Something has been happening to Daniel for a bit now."

"It's nothing, I'm just not..." - Daniel started saying something, only to be interrupted once more.

"Not feeling well?" - Hannah squatted and looked Daniel in the eyes - "Do you really believe that?"

"What can we do to stop this?" - Ella asked.

"So, you believe me?" - Hannah said, jumping back onto her feet.

"I didn't say that. But, in case you are telling the truth, how do we stop this?"

"A duel. Defeat the Kings, and you two are safe."

"Us two?" - Sara asked.

"Yeah, Ella and you." - Hannah said - "As for Carla and Daniel..."

"What happens to them?"

"You don't want to know."

Sara stopped walking around the room, and approached Hannah.

"Oh, I think I do."

"They'll die!" - Hannah shouted in desperation - "If you take down the Kings, they'll take the human body they're inhabiting down with them."

"So, you expect us to kill them?" - Sara asked, trying to keep calm.

"It's either you or them!"

"Yeah, you're right." - Ella said, to everyone's surprise - "But this all depends on one thing."

"What's that?" - Hannah asked.

"That we all choose to believe you."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Oh, I can think of so many reasons." - Daniel budged in.

"You stay quiet!" - Hannah demanded.

"No, I don't think so!" - Carla said - "You want us dead, I think we have the right to speak."

"I don't want you dead!"

"Well, it rather sounds like you do." - Carla continued.

"There's just no other way to defeat the Kings."

"Who are the Kings?" - Sara asked - "Because you've mentioned this name a few times now, but you haven't yet said what they are."

"Draconic beings from another dimension. I haven't been told all the details, but it seems like their goal is to destroy the world."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because they've already destroyed one dimension. And it's going to happen again if you don't stop them."

Sara was the next to sit down on the floor in exasperation.

"Do you believe her?" - Ella asked.

"It doesn't matter." - Sara looked at Carla from across the room - "It really doesn't matter. I brought Carla here. I saved her from Vector. Even if what Hannah is saying is completely true, I just can't… I can't watch her die."

Hannah sighed, not knowing what to say, and the entire room fell quiet.

"Three hours." - Sara interrupted the silence, and got back up onto her feet - "I listened to my dad scream for three hours while the infection slowly killed him. I sat by his bed until he lost his voice. I left the room at some point, I don't even remember why, but when I walked back in, he was dead. My entire family was dead."

Sara walked over to Hannah, grabbed her collar, and pulled her closer.

"And I'm not having anyone else die." - she said, then let Hannah go and walked away from her.

* * *

 **Turn 5 - Jonas (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince, **Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tensen **)**

"I still can't do much." - Jonas thought, looking at his hand - "I'll have to bide my time for now. First off, changing **Gorilla** to defense."

"No Spells and no searching, let's see how you fare."

"Let's fix one of those issues right now." - Jonas said - "Using the effect of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla** , I send **Fire Formation - Tensen** to the graveyard and destroy **Amorphage Lechery**!"

The bright red dragon let out one final screech before it was completely engulfed in flames.

"Next, I activate **Fire Formation - Yoko**!" - Jonas continued - "I discard **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo** from my hand, and destroy **Amorphage Infection**!"

 **Amorphage Greed:** DEF 2850 - 600 = 2250

 **Amorphage Envy:** DEF 2950 - 600 = 2350

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300

"Now, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince** , attack **Amorphage Greed**!" - the orange dragon showed little resistance to Horse Prince's attack.

"That's my turn over." - Jonas said.

 **Turn 6 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** 2 Amorphage Envy, **Spells/Traps:** Amorphous Persona, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Sloth **)**

"First of all, I'm not tributing anything for **Amorphage Sloth**." - Vector said as the olive dragon next to him disappeared into thin air.

"Why would he deliberately get rid of one of his scales?" - Jonas thought.

"Now, using the Scale 5 **Amorphage Gluttony** and Scale 7 **Archfiend Eccentrick** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - to Vector's left was a dark silver, almost metallic-looking dragon, with a fly on its back whose wings occasionally moved, clinging onto what little life the insect had left. In the other scale was a playful purple-skinned fiend, dressed bizarrely, with a small golden staff in one hand.

"From the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Amorphage Sloth**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 6/ATK 2250/DEF 0)" - the half-bear, half-dragon once again appeared by Vector's side - "Now, I use the effect of **Archfiend Eccentrick** , to destroy it as well as **Amorphous Persona**!"

"What?" - Jonas thought, as the pillars created by the card slowly crumbled to dust around him - "He destroyed his own Field Spell, it must have…"

"I activate the effect of **Amorphous Persona** in the graveyard!" - Vector said.

"…a graveyard effect." - Jonas finished his thought.

"I banish it from my graveyard, and tribute two **Amorphage Envy**! Make our enemies writhe in pain, watch them desperately squirm as they try to cling on to whatever life they have left, and hear their death throes! Rise from the depths of madness to deliver true justice! Ritual Summon, **Amorphactor Pain, the Imagination Dracoverlord**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2950/DEF 2500)

* * *

"Why Ian?" - Ella asked after a longer pause.

"Huh?" - Hannah was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Why did Vector need my brother?"

"I'm not too sure. He probably thought that Ian was the one possessed by the Kings because of the deck he played."

"But wait, that doesn't make sense." - Sara said - "Surely there's loads of people out there that play Igknights. How would Vector know who he's looking for?"

"That's the thing, though. Igknights are unique." - Hannah replied - "There's only one copy of the deck in existence. In _all_ dimensions. Or at least there should be. The same goes for Majespecter and Dinomist as well."

"You do realize the math doesn't add up here?" - Ella asked - "I know Ian plays Igknights. I still remember when he got them for his eighth birthday, and how happy he was. And it's quite clear that Daniel plays Igknights, so what gives?"

"You say the decks are unique. But where would people get them from, because it's not like you can just go ahead and buy them." - Carla budged into the conversation - "But I remember, around four years ago, I was given Dinomists as a gift from…"

"From?" - Sara asked.

"Jonas." - Carla half-whispered the end of the sentence.

"What?" - Hannah asked - "Where did he get them from?"

"I have no idea, I never thought it was important enough to ask him that! I just assumed he bought them or something like that."

"Well we could ask him if he hadn't _snuck off_."

"You don't think…"

"I don't know what to think." - Hannah said - "I don't know what to do either."

"So, what happens now?" - Ella asked.

"Well, we're all still in complete danger as long as the Kings are loose, but since you refuse to cooperate, I'll have to find another way of stopping them."

"And hopefully without killing anyone." - Sara said.

"Doubt it. Given enough time, the Kings are going to completely take over their human bodies anyways. Their minds are already slowly starting to decay." - Hannah walked over to Carla - "Well, hers isn't, not yet at least. Not sure why it's happening faster to Daniel, but it is."

"Why did it pick us two though?"

"It's not only you two. There's four Kings. Or at least there used to be." - Hannah replied - "One is under Vector's control, and currently in Niall's deck. And the fourth one is dead. Well, not dead. It's a bit complicated, but we don't have time for that, because the Kings could awaken again at any moment."

A barely audible whisper came from the corner of the room, and Daniel got back up on his feet.

"Duel me." - Daniel repeated his earlier words in a deep, gravelly voice, completely different from how he usually sounds.

"Is this what you were talking about?" - Ella asked.

"That's probably one of the Kings awakening, yes." - Hannah replied - "Unless he just wants to have a friendly match, but with the situation we're in, I somehow doubt that."

"Then let me duel him!" - Ella demanded.

"Nobody's dueling anyone!" - Sara said.

"Well why not? I still don't believe her, but the way I see it, either Hannah's lying, in which case nothing happens after this duel, or she's telling the truth, in which case we're in serious danger right now. And either way, I probably know his deck the best of anyone in this room."

"Finally, someone with some sense." - Hannah mumbled.

"But he'll die if you beat him!" - Sara insisted.

"If she's telling the truth, he'll die regardless! And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not go down with him."

"Duel me." - Daniel repeated.

"Here we go then." - Ella said, activating her duel disk.


	31. A Way Out

**Chapter 31 - A Way Out**

"Battle!" - Vector declared, as his two dragons got ready to attack - " **Amorphactor Pain** , destroy **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince**!"

 **Jonas:** LP 4000 - 650 = 3350

"Next, **Amorphage Sloth** attacks **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla**!"

The olive-coloured dragon rampaged across the field, and spread its jaws to rip Gorilla in half, causing his accompanying animal to disappear in a puff of smoke.

 **Turn 7 - Jonas (LP - 3350 / Hand - 2 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Yoko **)**

"And it doesn't stop here." - Vector said, as Jonas drew a card - "After **Amorphactor Pain** is Ritual Summoned, you have to skip your first Main Phase!"

"How surprising that he, of all people, would have a card that stops me from playing." - Jonas thought - "I'll just have to keep stalling for now before I can find an opening."

"Also, the effects of all Fusion, Synchro and Xyz monsters on the field are negated!"

"Yeah, great." - Jonas mumbled, ignoring Vector's ramblings - "I activate **Fire Formation - Tenki** , and add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino** from my deck to my hand."

An orange fireball appeared next to the purple one of Yoko.

"Next, since I control no monsters, and a Fire Formation Spell, I can Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2000/DEF 500) from my hand!"

A chain-wielding man appeared, wearing blue robes with orange highlights, kneeling on the field in defense position as a turquoise fire coyote sprinted in circles around him.

"Next, I set a monster…" - Jonas said, and a face-down card appeared horizontally in front of him - "…and end my turn."

 **Turn 8 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphactor Pain, the Imagination Dracoverlord, Amorphage Sloth, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Gluttony **)**

"First, I won't tribute anything for **Amorphage Gluttony** 's maintenance cost." - Vector said, as the dragon in the scale started slowly disappearing.

"Then, I activate **Pot of Riches** , and shuffle **Amorphage Lechery** , **Gluttony** and **Greed** into the deck." - a hefty golden pot with crystal handles appeared, and three cards flew into it from Vector's extra deck, each one increasing the number of gems the pot held - "Then, I draw 2 cards and activate **Amorphage Gluttony** in the Pendulum Scale, disabling all monster effects!"

"Not like I wanted to activate any effects to begin with."

"Now, **Amorphage Sloth** , get rid of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote**!"

The flaming coyote rushed towards the dragon attacking it, and bit into its neck, but the much larger, stronger creature shook the animal off without any hassle.

"Now, **Amorphactor Pain** , attack that set monster!"

Amorphactor's attack revealed a large, muscular man, accompanied by a charging rhino made of blue fire, but neither of them stood any chance against the dragon.

"I set a card, and end my turn!" - Vector said.

 **Turn 9 - Jonas (LP - 3350 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Yoko, Fire Formation - Tenki **)**

"Draw!" - Jonas said, trying to not feel desperate - "First, I activate **Fire Formation - Gyokkou** , and target your face-down card!"

Another fireball appeared right in front of him, this one light blue. Upon the card's activation, Vector's only set card was engulfed in flames.

"While **Gyokkou** is on the field, you cannot activate the targeted card." - Jonas explained - "Now, I set a monster, and end my turn."

"Is it just me, or are your turns getting shorter and shorter?" - Vector said.

"Well, you know, I thought you were in a bit of a rush, so I figured I'd make this as short as possible." - Jonas replied.

"You're on the verge of losing, and you've decided to be snarky?" - Vector asked.

"Yes."

"You know what, that attitude reminds me of someone."

"You know what, I don't care." - Jonas said - "What confuses me is that, despite the fact that your deck is built entirely to stop me from playing, and that this duel has already gone on for quite long, you are still stalling for time."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." - Jonas insisted - "I might be charging towards my death headfirst, but I'm not stupid."

He then paused to think about what he just said, then continued as if nothing had happened.

"Saying that, I don't think you even want to kill me. But the point is that someone, I assume Hannah, needs extra time, and you're here trying to make that happen." - Jonas continued - "But why? Does it even matter if I'm here or there?"

"Oh, but it does matter that you're not there." - Vector stopped pretending he had no idea what Jonas was talking about - "In fact, you can't imagine how pleased I was to see that you snuck off on your own. It saved me the hassle of going to get you yourself, and it looked less suspicious. But then again, I was pretty certain that you would distrust Hannah enough to go investigating."

"And how did you know that?"

"Because I know you better than almost anyone else."

* * *

 **Turn 1 - Daniel (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I'll start by placing **Igknight Cavalier** and **Igknight Margrave** in the Pendulum Scale!" - two warriors appeared either side of him, one covered in pink armour, wielding several knives, while the other wore red armour, and had a gun with a blade attached to it in both of its arms - "Then, I'll destroy them, and add **Igknight Veteran** from my deck to my hand! Then, using it and **Igknight Gallant** , I set the Pendulum Scale again!"

"Let's see if he continues with this, or…" - Ella thought.

"Then, I Pendulum Summon **Igknight Cavalier** (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1200) and **Igknight Margrave**! (FIRE/Warrior/Level 5/ATK 1500/DEF 2500)"

"…or he'll do that."

"Now, I activate **Fusion Substitute** , fusing **Cavalier** and **Margrave**! Appear before us, prime dragon, the maker of all that was and all that ever will be! Soar through the skies, and make the earth itself tremble in fear before your might! Fusion Summon, the creator and destroyer of worlds! **First of the Dragons**! (DARK/Dragon/Level 9/ATK 2700/DEF 2000)"

The monster itself didn't appear on the field, but its presence was noticeable regardless. Less light was coming through the windows of the room, as the giant dragon blocked out the sun.

"I end my turn."

 **Turn 2 - Ella (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Using the Scale 1 **Metalfoes Goldriver** , and Scale 8 **Metalfoes Volflame** , I set the Pendulum Scale, then using the effect of **Goldriver** , I destroy **Volflame** , and set **Metalfoes Counter** from the deck!"

A vertical face-down card appeared in front of her, while the giant orange tank to her right disappeared.

"Then, I activate **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** in the scale, and destroy **Metalfoes Goldriver** to set **Metalfoes Combination** from the deck, then use another **Goldriver** to reset the scale!"

Ella's turn was interrupted by the roar of the dragon outside.

"I didn't think I would have to use this card this early." - Ella thought as soon as the echo stopped - "But here goes."

"Why hasn't she set **Metalfoes Fusion** yet?" - Daniel thought.

"Next, I Pendulum Summon **Metalfoes Volflame** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 7/ATK 2400/DEF 2000) and **Metalfoes Goldriver** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 500) from the extra deck!"

The huge orange tank stormed back onto the field, followed by a drifting golden buggy, piloted by a man with a burning blade.

"Then, I activate **Super Polymerization** , and discard **Metalfoes Fusion** from my hand!"

"That explains why she couldn't set **Fusion**." - Sara said.

"I use **Metalfoes Goldriver** , **Metalfoes Volflame** and **First of the Dragons** as Fusion Materials! Merge, man and machine! Expurgate the evil from this dead world, and end everything your eyes touch! Rise, the ultimate killing machine, welded by the fires of death! Fusion Summon! **Metalfoes Crimsonite**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)"

Volflame's vehicle disassembled itself and turned into a brand-new monster, and its driver was now using it as armour, as opposed to a weapon. The ground shook as the machine landed on the field.

"Then, I shuffle **Metalfoes Fusion** into the deck, and draw a card!" - Ella continued - "Battle! **Metalfoes Crimsonite** , attack him directly!"

 **Daniel:** LP 4000 - 3000 = 1000

The monster threw one of its two fiery blades at Daniel, and the weapon went straight through him, followed by an intense scream.

"What was that?" - Ella asked, watching Daniel struggle to get up from the floor.

"It's the Kings." - Hannah said - "Their priority is always to eliminate any threats, so any duels involving them can be really dangerous."

"Good that you tell me that now." - Ella remarked as Daniel finally managed to get back up on his feet.

"Well nobody would listen to me."

"So, if I lose this duel, I die?"

"Not necessarily." - Hannah replied - "But I'd generally advise not losing regardless."

"Thanks, I guess I'll give that a go." - Ella said, then continued her turn - "I use the effect of **Metalfoes Goldriver** in the scale, and destroy **Bismugear** to set **Metalfoes Fusion** from my deck!"

Ella ended her turn with three face-down cards.

"Then I use the effect of **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** , and **Metalfoes Steelen** from my deck to my hand during the End Phase!" - a card popped up on top of Ella's deck, and she took it, signalling the end of her turn. Just as that happened, someone started banging on the door of the room.

* * *

"How can you, of all people, know me better than anyone?" - Jonas asked - "Actually, you know what, just shut up and carry on with your turn."

"Oh, I don't remember you being this bossy." - Vector smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I would explain everything, but you told me to shut up."

 **Turn 10 - Vector (LP - 4000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphactor Pain, the Imagination Dracoverlord, Amorphage Sloth, **Spells/Traps:** 1 set, **Pendulum Zones:** Amorphage Gluttony **)**

"First off, I'll let **Amorphage Gluttony** destroy itself. Then, I enter the Battle Phase!"

"You say my turns are getting shorter, but it's not like you're exactly taking your time." - Jonas said.

"I don't need to when my opponent is such a pushover. Now, **Amorphage Sloth** , attack his set monster!"

Sloth's attack revealed a man, wearing dark robes and a necklace made out of dark blue pearls, controlling a blue flaming wolf.

"When **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Wolf** is flipped face-up, I can use its effect to set **Fire Formation - Tensen** from the deck!"

"Of course you did." - Vector said - "But there's nothing that can protect you from this. **Amorphactor** , direct attack!"

The man on the back of the beast raised his staff into the air, which gathered light from all across the room, and fired a flash of lightning in Jonas' direction.

 **Jonas:** LP 3350 - 2950 = 400

"You were right, you know?" - Vector said, as Jonas recovered from the attack - "You were never dueling for your life to begin with. In fact, quite the opposite. I need to keep you here so you stay alive."

"How would me staying with them result in my death?"

"You have no idea how powerful the True Kings are. If you went with them, you were as good as dead."

"And why do you care?" - Jonas asked - "You've caused the deaths of millions. What's another one on your body count?"

"I only wanted one person to die!" - Vector insisted - "All the other deaths were an accident."

"Oh, so I presume they all just randomly dropped dead one day." - Jonas struggled to think anything Vector was saying is the truth - "And who did you want to kill so badly that you released a deadly disease into the world?"

"Myself." - Vector said, then paused, waiting for Jonas' reaction.

"Well, you rather failed at that, didn't you?"

"I'm telling the truth here!"

"Say I believe you. I don't, but let's say I do. Why would you want to kill yourself? More importantly, why did you choose probably the worst way to do it?"

"The Kings arrived into this world through me. Extremely powerful beings, they implant themselves in your head as an idea." - Vector started his explanation - "I never understood why they chose me, but slowly I started becoming aware that they're there, and what they want to do."

"Did they want to rule the world, or something else equally cliché?"

"They wanted to destroy this world, and kill everyone in it."

"I was close enough."

"But I'm a coward. Always been. I couldn't gather the strength to jump to my death, or anything similar. So I took my opportunity, since I was working at this very academy, researching a new strain of bacteriophages that could shut down the human digestive system, and I decided to…"

"…to inject yourself with a world-ending virus."

"I didn't know what would happen afterwards! During our research, we found that it was very deadly, but not at all contagious." - Vector continued - "But the Kings knew what I was doing, and they knew I was trying to take them down with me. So they fled across the world. They jumped from person to person, implanting themselves in any brain they stumbled upon. And they took the disease with them."

"So why did you live?"

"The Kings might have had the ability to jump into anyone's mind, but they still came into this world through me. I was the eye of the storm. They needed me alive, so one of the four kings sacrificed himself." - Vector replied - "However, the virus managed to resist that, though they definitely managed to weaken it enough so it doesn't kill me immediately. I was still going to die, but at that point it was going to take years for it to happen."

"Why did they still need you, though?"

"Because not everyone was dead yet. There were some outliers, people who managed to survive for long enough so the virus ran out of appropriate hosts, and died on its own. You met them. Ella, Sara and Niall, they hung on, as did many other people out there. According to my calculations, there's roughly two or three million people left in the world. And that was too many for them. And I was dying, so they had to come up with another plan."

"Which was?"

"They needed to invade my brain more slowly, implant an idea way earlier, so they travelled back in time."

"They went back in time." - Jonas thought - "So the documents I saw back there, the date was accurate."

"Only problem was, they went too far back."

"So what, they went to our time?"

"Exactly."

"So why did they choose Carla?" - Jonas asked - "Why did they choose any one of them?"

"That's what I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because, if I told you the truth, you could singlehandedly stop any of this from ever happening."

"I could stop this from happening. I could stop billions of innocent deaths. And why would you want that to _not_ happen"

"Because I'm a coward!" - Vector pleaded. Jonas momentarily stopped asking questions, so both of them stood there for a while, in complete silence.

"I've already told you too much." - Vector said quietly - "Let's just continue this duel."

"We're not continuing anything until you explain everything."

"But I won't, so what happens then? We're just going to stare at each other?" - Vector asked - "Besides, I thought you didn't believe me anyways."

"I don't believe you." - Jonas insisted.

"You don't sound quite convinced of that."

"You know what, we _should_ continue this duel."

 **Turn 11 - Jonas (LP - 400 / Hand - 0 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Fire Formation - Tenki, Fire Formation - Yoko, Fire Formation - Gyokkou, 1 set **)**

"First, I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 600)" - a man with a black ponytail appeared, wielding a staff, wrapped around which was a burning orange snake.

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake:** ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100

"Next, **Snake** will attack **Amorphactor Pain**!" - Jonas said, and the man pointed towards one of the dragons on Vector's field - "And I activate **Fire Formation - Tensen** , targeting it!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake:** ATK 2100 + 300 + 700 = 3100

 **Vector:** LP 4000 - 150 = 3850

"When **Amorphactor** is destroyed, I can add a Dracoverlord monster from my deck to my hand." - Vector said - "I add **Vector Pendulum, the Dracoverlord** to my hand!"

Vector then opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something else, but decided to keep quiet.

"Now, I use the effect of **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake**!" - Jonas said once he was sure Vector wasn't going to speak - "Since I control no other monsters, I send **Fire Formation - Tenki** and **Fire Formation - Yoko** to the graveyard, and draw 1 card!"

Two fireballs on Jonas' field fizzled out, leaving a puff of smoke in their wake.

"Then, since I sent a Fire Formation to the graveyard, **Snake** 's effect allows me to set a Fire Formation Trap Card from my deck." - Jonas grabbed the top card of his newly shuffled deck, and placed it on the field - "Then I'll send **Gyokkou** and **Tensen** to the graveyard, and Special Summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000) back from the graveyard in defense position!"

A man wearing chainmail armour jumped onto the field, followed by a rampaging blue buffalo, as the remaining two orbs of fire were extinguished, taking the ATK of the monsters down with them.

"I'll end my turn with that."

"Are you sure you want to carry on with this?" - Vector asked.

"Why, you scared?"

"What would I have to be scared of?"

"You're a coward. A coward that just told me that I can stop all of this." - Jonas said - "And you can be damn sure that, when I win this duel, I'll do everything in my power to find out how to make all of this come to an end. And _that_ is what you should be afraid of."

"I know you. And I know that, even if I told you how to do this, you wouldn't be brave enough to follow through with it." - Vector said, growing ever so unsure of his words as he looked at the determined stare in Jonas' eyes.

"Try me."

 **Turn 12 - Vector (LP - 3850 / Hand - 3 / Field - Monsters:** Amorphage Sloth, **Spells/Traps:** 1 set **)**

"First, I activate **Dark Hole** , destroying all monsters on the field!"

A black pit appeared beneath the duelists' feet, sucking Amorphage Sloth and Jonas' two Fire Fists into it, never to be seen again.

"Now, using the Scale 3 **Vector Pendulum, the Dracoslayer** and Scale 5 **Amorphage Lechery** , I set the Pendulum Scale!"

To Vector's left was a pale, winged man, who greatly resembled its owner, and to his right was a familiar red half-dragon, half-scorpion.

"Then, from the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon 2 **Amorphage Envy** , which I'll both immediately tribute! Rise, heinous dragon! Tribute Summon, **Amorphage Goliath**! (EARTH/Dragon/Level 8/ATK 2750/DEF 0)"

A large, dark blue dragon spread its wings across almost the entirety of the room, roaring towards the ceiling. Whichever poor animal was getting converted by the dragon was completely gone, and there were no traces left of what the creature originally was.

"And with no monsters on your field, **Goliath** attacks you directly." - Vector launched his final attack towards Jonas, who was staring at his opponent, completely unfazed and with a smile on his face.


	32. The Vanquished

**Chapter 32 - The Vanquished**

"Check who it is." - Ella said, as the knocks on the door continued.

"Sis?" - a voice came from the other side - "Is that you?"

"Ian!" - Ella smiled once she realised who it was, then turned to Hannah - "Open the door!"

"I can't open…" - Hannah started saying.

"Open it!" - Ella repeated her demand, interrupting Hannah in the process.

"You don't want to get on her bad side." - Ian said from behind the wooden door - "Trust me, I know."

Despite her better judgment, Hannah let Ian in, then quickly locked the door behind her again, to make sure nobody can get out. Ian immediately ran towards his sister, she embraced him with both arms and lifted him up.

"Where the hell have you been?" - she asked.

"Out and about." - Ian smiled, then looked behind Ella's back - "What's going on here?"

"Long story." - Ella said, ruffling her brother's hair - "Just stay back for now, and don't disappear again, or I'll smack you."

"Are you two done?" - Daniel asked from across the field - "We've got more important things to do."

"I really don't think we do." - Ella said - "But carry on."

 **Turn 3 - Daniel (LP - 1000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Pendulum Zones:** Igknight Gallant, Igknight Veteran **)**

"First, I banish **Fusion Substitute** from the graveyard, return **First of the Dragons** to the extra deck, and draw 1 card!"

"Hold on…" - Ian mumbled.

"Now, I destroy **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Veteran** , then add **Igknight Templar** from my deck to my hand!"

"That's my deck!"

"It's not yours!" - Ella said.

"How do you know?" - Ian asked.

"Well, you've got your deck, don't you?"

"Point taken."

"Bit of a confusing situation, I'll admit." - Hannah said - "There should be only one Igknight deck, but there's two, and I have no idea why."

"I do." - Daniel said.

"What?"

"They're inside my head, and they know everything."

"Tell us then." - Ella demanded.

"Why would I tell you anything? It's way more fun when you don't…" - Daniel started saying, but fell down on his knees before he could finish the sentence, and started breathing heavily.

"What's happening?" - Sara asked.

"My best guess is that one of the Kings is starting to take over." - Hannah said - "Which would mean that we don't have much time left, so you have to finish this as quickly as possible."

"Well I'm trying, but I can't do much if he can't continue his turn."

"I activate **Igknight Gallant** and **Igknight Templar** in my Pendulum Zones." - Daniel growled, still on his knees - "Then I destroy them, and add **Igknight Squire** from my deck to my hand."

"There we go, he's back." - Ella said.

"Don't think it's him anymore."

"Using the Scale 2 **Igknight Crusader** and Scale 7 **Igknight Squire** , I set the Pendulum Scale!" - Daniel said, finally getting back up - "Then, I Pendulum Summon two **Igknight Gallant** , **Igknight Veteran** , **Igknight Cavalier** and **Igknight Templar**!"

An entire array of soldiers appeared on Daniel's field, sporting armour of various colours and a garden-variety of weapons.

"Now, I overlay the two Level 6 **Igknight Gallants** and **Igknight Veteran**! Rise, defender of the forest and guardian of the trees! Xyz Summon, **Fairy Knight Ingunar**! (EARTH/Plant/Rank 6/ATK 2200/DEF 3000)"

An elf knight appeared, wielding a bright green blade, and wearing armour made of green leaves and a cape made of flower petals.

"Then, by detaching two materials from **Fairy Knight Ingunar** , I can return all other cards on the field to the hand, and you can't do a damn thing about it!"

Ingunar raised his sword towards the ceiling, and out of it came a bright turquoise light that consumed the whole field, leaving nothing except the knight itself.

"Then, I Normal Summon **Igknight Templar**! (FIRE/Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300)"

"Hannah, you said that the Kings will do anything to eliminate people who stand in their way, right?"

"Does that involve me taking physical damage right here?"

"Afraid so."

"Well, that's reassuring."

"I set one card, then enter the battle phase!" - Daniel declared - "I attack directly with both monsters!"

 **Ella:** LP 4000 - 1700 - 2200 = 100

Ella withstood Templar's attack fine, but couldn't do anything against Ingunar's onslaught. She stared blankly at the monster as it retreated from its attack, took a deep breath, then collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Jonas stared at the metallic grey dragon's roar echoed through the room.

" **Amorphage Goliath** , attack directly!" - Vector declared, pointing towards Jonas' field, which had nothing on it but one set card - "This duel is over!"

"Are you sure about that?" - Jonas asked.

"What could you possibly have?"

"Let me answer that questions." - Jonas revealed his face-down card - "I activate **Ultimate Fire Formation - Seito**!"

"You what?"

"I banish two **Tenki** , two **Tensen** , **Tensu** , **Yoko** and **Gyokkou** from my graveyard!" - Jonas declared as seven fireballs lit up above him, forming a constellation - "Then, I can Special Summon as many **Fire Fist** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior) monsters from my graveyard as possible! Come forth, **Horse Prince** (Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200), **Gorilla** (Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1000), **Rhino** (Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1400), **Rooster** (Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 100) and **Spirit**! (Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 200)"

Four different burning animals appeared on Jonas' field, all accompanied by their respective warrior: a black horse, a bright orange gorilla, a blue rhino, a violet rooster soaring towards the sky, and the last monster was Spirit, best described as dark purple flames in a suit of armour.

"Now, thanks to **Seito** 's other effect, I set the **Fire Formations - Tenki** , **Tensu** , **Tensen** and **Tenken** from the deck!" - Jonas said, as four more cards appeared in front of him - "All this time you thought you had me on the ropes, but you never stood a chance. The moment I realized what kind of deck you were playing, I knew what I had to do. I played it slow, because that's exactly what you wanted me to do."

" **Amorphage Goliath** , attack **Horse Prince**!"

"Do you really think you can win?" - Jonas asked as the black horse in front of him evaporated - "Or are you just desperately hanging on at this point?"

"I've been hanging on for three years, why should I stop now?" - Vector said - "With **Gyokkou** gone, I activate **Amorphage Lysis** , and end my turn. And thanks to **Lechery** , you still cannot activate any Spells."

 **Turn 13 - Jonas (LP - 400 / Hand - 1 / Field - Monsters:** Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster, **Spells/Traps:** 4 set **)**

"I can get around **Lechery** , don't worry." - Jonas said - "First off, I activate **Fire Formation - Tenken** , and target **Spirit** , which means that it's unaffected by other card effects for the rest of this phase, but it won't be around for long, as I activate the effect of **Gorilla** , and send **Tenken** to the graveyard to destroy **Amorphage Lysis** , which means the ATK of all my monsters returns to normal."

Vector stared through Jonas, more than at him, and swayed from side to side a couple of times, as if he was slowly losing his balance.

"Then, I activate **Fire Formation - Tensen** , and target **Rhino**!"

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino:** ATK 1700 + 300 + 700 = 2700

"Then, I summon **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1200)" - a man appeared, wearing a black and gold suit of armour, accompanied by a rampaging flaming bear - "Then, I use its effect to send **Tensen** to grave, and destroy **Amorphage Goliath**!"

Vector couldn't even look at his field slowly being turned to ashes, as his vision was getting blurry.

"Next, I activate **Upstart Goblin** , allowing me to draw a card, then you gain one thousand life points."

 **Vector:** LP 3850 + 1000 = 4850

"Then, I overlay the two Level 4 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla** and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear**! Descend, oh grand protector of justice and high commander of the heavenly spirits! Rise to the skies like a phoenix, rain down fire on the unjust, and gaze upon this wretched land that will soon be yours! Xyz Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1800)"

A muscular man with a grey beard appeared, accompanied by a huge, flaming white tiger.

"Next, I activate the set **Fire Formation - Tenki** , adding **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar** to my hand, then activate **Tensu** , allowing me to Normal Summon the **Boar** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1400) I just added!" - a large, man appeared, whose torso was mostly unarmoured, wielding a staff surrounded in purple flames - "Now, I tune the Level 4 **Boar** and Level 4 **Rhino**! Shine, star of strength! Descend, oh jade general, lead the empyreal spirits towards their untimely demise, and sow despair upon this battlefield! Synchro Summon! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 8/ATK 2000/DEF 2800)"

A long-haired bearded man appeared, wearing dark emerald robes, with a pitch-black unicorn running around him.

"I'll use **Kirin** 's effect, I set **Fire Formation - Yoko** from the deck!" - another face-down appeared on Jonas' field - "Next, I tune the Level 3 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** and **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster**! Oh Grand Marshal, master of combat and releaser of demons, ascend upon the battlefield! Synchro Summon, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince** (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2200), but I'm not activating its effect."

The burning black horse and its rider appeared on Jonas' field again, after being destroyed by Vector's attack last turn.

"Now, I activate **Rekindling** , allowing me to Special Summon back as many FIRE monsters with 200 DEF from my graveyard as possible! Come back, **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit** and **Leopard**! Then, I overlay the two newly summoned Level 3 monsters! Heavenly king, descend once again upon this land! Xyz Summon, spiritual guardian of the Fire Fists! **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor**! (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Rank 3/ATK 2200/DEF 200)"

The last soldier to appear on Jonas' field wore mostly white armour, and his helmet was decorated with pure gold, and in such a way that it resembled a lion's mane.

"I activate **Lion Emperor** 's effect, detach a material, and add **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster** from the graveyard to my hand! But it won't be around for long, because I activate my set **Fire Formation - Yoko** , discard **Rooster** , and destroy **Vector Pendulum, the Dracoverlord**!"

The Vector in the Pendulum Zone was consumed by a firestorm, while its namesake blankly stared at Jonas, barely even able to move.

"Then, thanks to my three Fire Formations, all Beast-Warrior gain 300 ATK, not like it's necessary, since your field is rather empty."

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King:** ATK 2200 + 300 = 2500

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor:** ATK 2200 + 300 = 2500

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince:** ATK 2200 + 300 = 2500

 **Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin:** ATK 2000 + 300 = 2300

 **Total damage:** 9800

"First, **Kirin** attacks directly!" - the black unicorn charged Vector, but he fell down on his knees long before the attack was completed, and didn't even flinch as the burning animal ran straight through him.

 **Vector:** LP 4850 - 2300 = 2550

"Now, **Tiger King** , attack!"

 **Vector:** LP 2550 - 2500 = 50

"Then…" - Jonas started declaring, but Vector interrupted him. He looked at the screen on his duel disk, pressed a couple of buttons, and surrendered before collapsing to the floor. Jonas immediately ran over to him.

"Have this." - Vector said in a breathy voice, handing Jonas the key to exit the room. Jonas had no intention to stick around, and immediately headed for the door.

"Wait…" - Vector continued - "Let me help you."

"Why would you help me, and more importantly, why would I trust you?"

"I didn't want to tell you anything, because if I did, it would've meant my death." - Vector said - "But the disease is coming back, and I'm going to die regardless."

A single tear rolled down Vector's pale cheek, as he laid motionless on the floor, barely even able to move.

"So, let me help you."

* * *

Ian was sitting next to his sister's unconscious body, desperately trying to wake her up in any way possible, seemingly to no avail. Everyone stood there, silent, for a couple of minutes. Daniel was the first to speak.

"Looks like we're done here."

"No, no we're not." - Ella said, still lying face-down on the floor, much to everyone's surprise. Slowly and carefully, she got back up on her feet.

"I survived a world-ending virus, did you really think I'd go down that easy?"

"You have 100 life points left!"

"That's more than zero, isn't it? So we're not done."

 **Turn 4 - Ella (LP - 100 / Hand - 6 / Field - X)**

"First, with the Scale 1 **Metalfoes Goldriver** and Scale 8 **Metalfoes Volflame** , I set the Pendulum Scale, then by destroying **Volflame** , I set **Fullmetalfoes Fusion** from the deck!" - Ella said, and a face-down card appeared in front of her - "Then, I activate **Metalfoes Steelen** in the Pendulum Zone, use its effect to destroy **Goldriver** , and set **Metalfoes Counter** from the deck! Then, I'll place **Metalfoes Silverd** in scale, and Pendulum Summon!"

Two golden buggies rode onto the field in style, slowly followed by two more vehicles, coloured in bright orange, the size of tanks.

"Then, I activate **Metalfoes Fusion** , using the two **Goldrivers** as Fusion Material! Merge, man and machine! Descend from dizzying heights and destroy this desolate world and all that dares dwell in it! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Orichalc**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200)"

Goldriver's vehicle disassembled itself, and became part of its driver's armour.

" **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack **Igknight Templar**!"

"Don't think so!" - Daniel said - "I activate **Waboku** , which means **Templar** isn't destroyed, and I take no damage."

"Yeah, thought you might. I'll just have to end this next turn." - Ella said.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I lost most of my duels against her, and we play the same deck." - Ian said - "Trust me, you don't stand a chance."

"Next, I shuffle **Metalfoes Fusion** from the graveyard into the deck, and draw one card!" - Ella continued - "Then, I use the effect of **Metalfoes Silverd** to destroy **Metalfoes Steelen** , and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck! Then I activate it, and fuse the two **Metalfoes Volflame**! Merge, man and machine! Break the silence and ignite the spark of justice! Rise, rebel, and rain down the flames of revolution! Fusion Summon, **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)"

A wizard appeared, wielding a staff in his right hand with a power core on top of it. His armour, that was usually brightly coloured, was now a dull metallic grey, as there was barely any light in the room for it to reflect.

"Then, I set two cards, and end my turn!"

 **Turn 5 - Daniel (LP - 1000 / Hand - 5 / Field - Monsters:** Fairy Knight Ingunar, Igknight Templar **)**

"First, I activate **Igknight Reload** , and shuffle **Igknight Squire** and **Crusader** into the deck, then draw three cards!" - Daniel looked at one of the cards he drew, and smiled

"You might think we play the same deck, but there's one key difference. And it's this." - he raised one of his cards, looking at Ian - "But first, I activate **Igknight Cavalier** and **Igknight Margrave** in my Pendulum Zones, destroy them, and add **Igknight Veteran** to my hand! Then, I use it and the Scale 2 **Igknight Gallant** , to set the scale again, and Pendulum Summon two **Igknight Margrave** and **Igknight Cavalier**!"

"What is he planning?" - Ian thought - "What's that card?"

"Now, I destroy **Igknight Templar** and **Igknight Margrave**!" - Daniel declared, raising a card towards the sky - "The king of victory approaches this battlefield! Rise, the ultimate fire deity and the wisest of all the gods! Special Summon, **True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher**! (FIRE/Wyrm/Level 9/ATK 2900/DEF 1900)"

The ground outside started shaking, and a giant red foot slammed into the earth right next to the only window in the room, shattering the glass to pieces. The creature ripped the roof of the room clean off, and poked its huge head through the gap left behind, then took a few steps back, the ground shaking with its every move. Once it backed off, the entire extent of the monster's size was revealed. As the crumbling remains of a roof that no longer was settled around them, everyone stared at a huge draconic entity, largely red but covered in shining silver armour. It had two pairs of wings, one dark red and made of skin, but the other was angelic, and covered in bright white feathers, glimmering as the sun broke through the clouds, and the rain was clearing.

"What's happening?" - Sara asked.

"The King of Victory has arrived." - Hannah said - "And this is the least of what they can do. Ella, you need to end this quickly."

"Yeah, I'm on it." - Ella said.

"When **Agnimazud** is summoned by destroying two FIRE monsters, I can banish a monster on the field or from your graveyard! I banish **Fullmetalfoes Alkahest**!"

The dragon used the blue orb on its head to send a beam towards Alkahest, and even though the latter raised his staff in an attempt to defend himself, he couldn't do anything against the attack as his body slowly turned to dust, carried away by the breeze that rolled through.

"Before you do anything else, I activate **Metalfoes Combination**!" - Ella said.

"It doesn't matter, because **Agnimazud** attacks **Metalfoes Orichalc**!" - Daniel declared - "And with barely any life points left, this will be enough to end this duel!"

"That True King must be taking a toll on your brain, because you forgot I had this." - Ella said - "I activate **Fullmetalfoes Fusion** , and fuse **Metalfoes Orichalc** and **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** in my hand! Merge, man and machine! Take flight, mythical master of mountains, and soar through the skies as the sun glistens off your silver steel! Fusion Summon, my very soul, **Metalfoes Mithrilium**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1000)"

Mithrilium flew onto the field using a pair of glistening silver wings, using the engines attached to her feet to propel herself forward, then carefully landed by adjusting the wing angle.

"Then, since I used **Orichalc** to Fusion Summon **Mithrilium** , its effect activates, allowing me to destroy **Agnimazud**!" - the spirit of Orichalc appeared in front of Ella, and charged to its death towards the red dragon, who roared in protest. Orichalc threw one of its flaming axes towards the blue orb on the monster's head, causing it to collapse on the spot.

"Then, I activate the effect of **Metalfoes Combination** , and use its effect." - Ella continued - "When a monster is Fusion Summoned, I can Special Summon a Metalfoes monster from my graveyard whose Level is lower than that monster's. Come back, **Raremetalfoes Bismugear**!"

"I know better than to attack into that!" - Daniel said - "So I'll overlay the two Level 5 **Igknight Margrave** and **Igknight Cavalier**! "Xyz Summon, sword of the just, infused with divine power, and a blade nobody is worthy enough to wield, **Artifact Durendal**! (LIGHT/Fairy/Rank 5/ATK 2400/2100)"

An oversized sword appeared, its blade infused with lines of two different colours. A spirit wielded the blade, but pointed it towards the ground and kneeled, ready to defend itself.

"I set a card." - Daniel said - "Then, I change **Fairy Knight Ingunar** to defense position, and end my turn! Now then, let's see how you plan on defeating me."

"With ease." - Ella said.

 **Turn 6 - Ella (LP - 100 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Metalfoes Mithrilium, Raremetalfoes Bismugear, **Spells/Traps:** Metalfoes Combination, 2 set, **Pendulum Zones:** Metalfoes Silverd **)**

"First, I'll shuffle **Metalfoes Fusion** into the deck, and draw a card!" - Ella said - "Then, I use the effect of **Metalfoes Silverd** to destroy **Metalfoes Combination** , and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck! Since a card I controlled was destroyed by a card effect, I activate **Metalfoes Counter** , and Special Summon **Metalfoes Steelen** (FIRE/Psychic/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 2100) from the deck, and I also use the effect of the just destroyed **Metalfoes Combination** to add another **Steelen** from my deck to my hand!"

"You just never stop, do you?" - Daniel said.

"Then, I place **Metalfoes Steelen** in the Pendulum Scale, and Pendulum Summon back two **Metalfoes Volflame**!" - Ella continued, taking Daniel's remark as an instruction rather than a complaint - "Then, I activate **Metalfoes Fusion**!"

"I'm afraid I'll have to stop you right there." - Daniel interrupted Ella - "I detach a material from **Artifact Durendal** , and change the effect of **Metalfoes Fusion** , meaning that you now have to destroy a Spell or Trap I control!"

"You're so predictable!" - Ella laughed - "I was hoping you'd activate that, because I had no idea what that set card of yours is, and now we're about to find out."

Dual-coloured lightning struck Daniel's face down card, briefly revealing before it shattered into pieces.

"Oh, it wasn't anything important." - Ella said, barely managing to spot the card's artwork.

"When **Igknight Burst** is sent to the graveyard, I can add an Igknight Pendulum Monster from my extra deck to my hand!"

"Yeah, I don't care." - Ella cut Daniel off before he revealed what monster he was returning to his hand - "I use **Metalfoes Mithrilium** 's effect! By shuffling **Metalfoes Fusion** and **Metalfoes Orichalc** from my graveyard into the deck, I return **Fairy Knight Ingunar** to the hand, or rather the extra deck."

Mithrilium aimed one of her guns towards the winged knight, and shot a blast that enveloped Ingunar in flames, turning into a pile of charcoal and ash.

"Then, I use the effect of **Metalfoes Steelen** in the Pendulum Scale to destroy **Raremetalfoes Bismugear** , and set **Metalfoes Fusion** from the deck again." - Ella continued - "I'll immediately activate it, and this time there's nothing to stop me! I use **Metalfoes Steelen** and **Metalfoes Volflame** as Fusion Materials! Descend from dizzying heights to destroy this godforsaken wasteland once and for all! Fusion Summon, **Metalfoes Orichalc**! (FIRE/Psychic/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200)"

"Where is it?" - Daniel asked, since the monster that Ella just summoned was nowhere to be found.

"While it's face-up on the field, **Orichalc** 's effect allows all Metalfoes, including itself, to deal doubled piercing damage." - Ella said, and Orichalc finally appeared from the sun, casting a shadow on the field that became ever smaller as it descended - "Now then, **Metalfoes Orichalc** , attack **Artifact Durendal**!"

"Wait!" - Daniel begged, as a tiny bit of his human self snuck through the King's shell.

"Give me one reason to." - Ella said.

"Hannah, please…"

Hannah's eyes widened, as if she wasn't expecting to hear her name just then. She took a few steps towards Daniel, as if she knew he wanted to tell her something.

"I love you." - Daniel muttered quietly enough so that nobody would hear him apart from the person who was supposed to hear it. She smiled in reply and took a few more steps towards him, and leaned so that the two of them were face to face.

"Don't worry, I know." - Hannah whispered in his ear - "If only someone loved you."

She backed away from him, unable to stop smirking, as Daniel stared at her in disgust, a single tear rolling down his cheek. A couple of moments passed in silence.

"What are you waiting for!?" - Daniel screamed, startling everyone in the room - "Attack me then!"

He stared at Ella with the eyes of a broken man, and collapsed onto his knees. Ella paused, dumbfounded by what just happened.

"I end my turn." - she said.

"What are you doing?" - Hannah asked, but Ella decided to stay quiet.

 **Turn 7 - Daniel (LP - 1000 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Artifact Durendal, **Pendulum Zones:** Igknight Gallant, Igknight Veteran **)**

"I Normal Summon **Igknight Templar**." - Daniel said without even looking at the card he drew. The warrior's bronze armour glistened in the sunlight, as a stark contrast to the chrome parts of the plating, which were a dull matte black. Templar took his sword, which doubled as a gun, and pointed it towards Orichalc, awaiting command.

" **Igknight Templar** , attack **Metalfoes Orichalc**." - Daniel said, staring at the ground - "End this."

"What are you doing!?" - Ella asked, clearly distressed by what was about to happen - "Stop this!"

Her pleas were ignored, as Templar continued his run towards Ella's field, only for Orichalc to grab the warrior and throw him back towards his owner. He grabbed one of his blazing axes, and threw it towards Templar. The weapon was firmly lodged in his chest, causing the Igknight to combust and explode, taking the life of his owner with him.

 **Daniel:** LP 1000 - 1000 = 0

A bright light enveloped the room for a couple of seconds. After it cleared, Carla immediately ran towards Daniel's unconscious body, and checked if he had a pulse.

"He's dead." - she said, and looked at Hannah with the same stare of hate as Daniel did just moments ago.

"Where's Ella?" - Sara asked, desperately looking around the room - "Ian's gone as well! They were both right there, where did they go?"

Carla rushed towards Hannah, giving her no time to react, then grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pushed her against the nearest wall.

"Where are they?"

"I have no idea." - Hannah's voice quivered.

"I hope for your sake that that's true." - Carla said and loosened her grip - "Otherwise you'll be joining him sooner rather than later."

"Nobody else dies!" - Sara budged in - "No exceptions."

"Yeah, well go ahead and tell Daniel that!" - Carla turned around - "Or Ella and Ian, for that matter."

She walked towards Sara, and stopped one step short of their noses touching. Both of them stared into the other's blue eyes, unwilling to budge.

"Keep trying to change my mind, and I'll make you the second exception." - Carla said.


	33. Endgame

**Chapter 33 - Endgame**

"You're not dueling her!" - Sara said.

"What did I say about trying to change my mind?" - Carla replied.

"You might die!" - Sara pleaded - "Look what happened to Daniel!"

"Or I might win." - Carla said - "And if I do, she'll finally have to tell us the truth."

"I told you the truth about everything." - Hannah said.

"I believe that just as much as I believe anything else you said in the past hour." - Carla said, readying her duel disk.

"You really want to do this?" - Hannah asked, but the situation already escalated far beyond anyone's control.

"Absolutely."

"Let's go, then."

 **Turn 1 - Hannah (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"Do you think you have a chance?" - Hannah asked.

"Do you?" - Carla replied - "I played with you, I know your deck."

"We'll see about that." - Hannah said - "First, I set a card! Then, I tribute the set **True Draco Apocalypse** , and Tribute Summon **Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General**! (EARTH/Wyrm/Level 6/ATK 2100/DEF 2800)"

A heavily armoured man appeared, with a pair of grey wings and a long, similarly coloured tail. His long red cape fluttered in the breeze.

"This isn't Majespecters." - Carla said.

"Really?" - Hannah said snidely - "I didn't notice."

"Did you just tribute a Trap for a Tribute Summon?" - Sara asked.

"Excellent observation." - Hannah remarked - "Can I carry on now?"

"Yeah, go on."

"I activate **True Draco Heritage** , and immediately activate its effect, which allows me to Normal Summon an additional monster.." - Hannah continued - "I tribute **Dreiath** , and Tribute Summon **Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster**! (WIND/Wyrm/Level 5/ATK 2300/DEF 1500)"

A blonde woman appeared, wearing white and red robes, and bright blue highlights, and wielded a staff that created bright green tornadoes on both ends. She spread her dark red draconic wings as she landed on the field.

"When **Dreiath** leaves the field, I use its effect, and Special Summon **Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior** (FIRE/Wyrm/Level 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1000) from my deck in defense position!"

Another draconic humanoid appeared, wearing red metallic armour. He had a black mask over his bright green eyes, shoulder-length dark blonde hair, and a long golden tail.

"I destroy **Majesty Maiden** and **Ignis Heat**!" - the two monsters already on Hannah's field were consumed by a bright green light - "The queen of purity approaches the battlefield! Descend from the heavens, and restore this world to its former glory. Special Summon, **Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix**! (WIND/Wyrm/Level 9/ATK 2700/DEF 2100)"

A four-legged feathered dragon cast a shadow on the entire field through the hole left by Agnimazud. It had three pairs of lustrous white wings. The only thing that stood out from the monster's iridescent brilliance were two red horns, in between which was a golden triangular motif.

"Next, I activate the effect of **True Draco Heritage** , which allows me to draw one card for each different type of True Draco or True King card sent to the graveyard this turn. I sent a monster and a trap to the graveyard this turn, so I can draw two cards!" - Hannah added two more cards to her hand - "I set one of them, and end my turn!"

 **Turn 2 - Carla (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Field - X)**

"I admit, you did surprise me." - Carla said - "But don't think a different deck is going to help you."

"You're talking too much."

"Alright then, I'll get going." - Carla continued - "I'll start by activating **Dinomist Charge** , and add **Dinomist Plesios** from my deck to my hand! Then, using the Scale 3 **Dinomist Ceratops** and Scale 5 **Dinomist Ankylos** , I set the Pendulum Scale!"

To Carla's left was a green mechanical dinosaur, with two large spikes on top of its head and one smaller one on its nose. To the right was a dark blue one, surrounded by a spherical metallic shell, which was covered in glowing spikes.

"I Pendulum Summon **Dinomist Plesios** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1400) and **Dinomist Spinos**! (WATER/Machine/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800)"

The bigger of the two dinosaurs had a burgundy-coloured snake-like body, with a protruding glowing spine in the middle of it. The other one was blue, albeit a slightly lighter shade of it than the one in the scale, had a long segmented neck and a quickly spinning fan in place of a tail.

"Thanks to the effect of **Plesios** , all your monsters lose 100 ATK for each Dinomist card on my field."

 **Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix:** ATK 2700 - 5 x 100 = 2200

" **Dinomist Spinos** attacks **Mariamne**!" - the dinosaur's mouth whirred as it slowly opened, then shot an orange blast towards the feathered dragon.

 **Hannah:** LP 4000 - 300 = 3700

" **Dinomist Pteran** , direct attack!" - Pteran started readying itself for a direct blast, but Hannah interrupted it.

"I activate **True King's Return** , and immediately use its effect to Special Summon **Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General** from the graveyard!" - the heavily armoured knight appeared kneeling, and caused Carla to stop her attack.

"I set two cards, and end my turn!" - Carla said.

"You seem determined to beat me, but so far you've been all bark and no bite." - Hannah remarked.

"Bite me." - Carla replied.

"I'd rather not."

 **Turn 3 - Hannah (LP - 3700 / Hand - 2 / Field - Monsters:** Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General, **Spells/Traps:** True Draco Heritage, True King's Return **)**

"I'll start by using the effect of **True King's Return** again, and Special Summon **Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster** from my graveyard, but I cannot Special Summon anything else for the rest of this turn."

Hannah activated another card from her hand, after which the whole field became surrounded by a glowing circle with four equidistant points on it, one on each cardinal direction. All four of the points were connected to the a circle in the middle, which shone slightly brighter than the rest.

"I activate **Dragonic Diagram** , which gives all my True Draco and True King monsters 300 ATK!" - Hannah said, as the circle completed itself - "I use its effect to destroy **True King's Return** , and add **Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King** from my deck to my hand!"

Hannah's deck shuffled itself, and the card she searched popped out on top of it.

"Then, I use the effect of **True King's Return**. When it's sent to the graveyard, I can destroy a monster on the field!" - Hannah continued - "And I target **Dinomist Spinos**!"

"I use **Dinomist Ceratops** ' Pendulum Effect, and destroy it instead of **Spinos**." - Carla responded - "Then, the effect of **Dinomist Charge** activates, and adds **Ceratops** back to my hand."

"As expected." - Hannah continued - "I tribute **Dreiath III** , and Tribute Summon **Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior**!"

The armoured knight disappeared, to make way for the blade-wielding warrior.

"Then, I activate **Disciples of the True Dracophoenix** , and use its effect!" - Hannah said - "I shuffle **Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix** , **Dreiath III** and **Ignis Heat** from my graveyard into the deck, then draw one card."

"Where's that monster she added?" - Sara thought, as she helplessly watched on - "Because I get the feeling she's not done."

"I activate the other effect of **Disciples** , allowing me to Normal Summon once again this turn!" - Hannah continued - "I tribute **Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster** , as well as **Disciples of the True Dracophoenix**! The heaven-sent saviour descends upon this world in a blaze of glory! Tribute Summon, **Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King**! (LIGHT/Wyrm/Level 8/ATK 2950/DEF 2950)"

Another sword-wielding knight appeared, wearing sparkling silver armour, with long blonde hair and a set of splendid feather wings. His helmet heavily resembled Mariamne's head, together with a pair of red horns.

"Since I tributed **Majesty Maiden** and **Disciples** for its summon, **Master Peace** is unaffected by monster effects, and the effects of Spell Cards." - Hannah explained - "Then, since **Disciples of the True Dracophoenix** was sent to the graveyard, I can use its effect and destroy **Dinomist Charge**!"

"I use the effect of **Dinomist Ankylos** in the Pendulum Zone, and destroy it to negate an effect that targets a Dinomist card!" - Carla said, as the dark blue dinosaur on her right exploded.

"And now you're left without a scale." - Hannah said - "Was that all worth it?"

"Don't worry, it was." - Carla replied, subtly looking at the set card to her left.

"Guess I'm about to find out what you're planning." - Hannah said, noticing what Carla was looking at - "I use the effect of **Master Peace** , and banish **Disciples of the True Dracophoenix** from my graveyard to destroy one card on the field. And I target the one on your left!"

"Did you notice that I was looking at it?" - Carla asked, and Hannah smiled in reply - "God, you're predictable. I activate the card that you targeted: **Dinomists Howling**! Using its effect, I place the Scale 3 **Dinomist Stegosaur** and Scale 6 **Dinomist Brachion** from my deck in my Pendulum Zones!"

Two more dinosaurs appeared, resetting Carla's Pendulum Scale. One was green and turquoise, with glowing spines all across its back, and the other long-necked and purple, riding on tank treads and equipped with several guns.

"Then, I use the Pendulum Effect of the newly activated **Dinomist Stegosaur** , and destroy it instead of **Dinomists Howling**!"

"You keep protecting your field, but do you think it's going to last?" - Hannah asked.

Carla took a couple of steps back, outside of the diagram that encircled the field, and spread her arms.

"Shut up and come at me." - she said with a smirk.

"She's taunting me." - Hannah thought - "But what else can I do but attack?"

"Are you hesitating?" - Carla asked - " **Master Peace** is unaffected by virtually everything, what are you afraid of?"

Hannah stared at Carla for a couple of moments before initiating battle.

" **Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King** , attack **Dinomist Plesios**! And since it is unaffected by monster effects, your monster's effect doesn't work on **Master Peace**. However, this also means **Dragonic Diagram** 's effects don't work on it."

Master Peace ran towards Carla's field, raised its gleaming blade, and sliced straight through the mechanical dinosaur's neck. Its head fell to the ground, with the occasional exposed wire sparking.

 **Carla:** LP 4000 - 1250 = 2750

"What are you so happy about?" - Hannah asked.

"Well, I did say that **Master Peace** is invulnerable to _virtually_ everything." - Carla replied, unable to stop grinning - "When a Dinomist monster is destroyed, I can activate **Dinomist Eruption** to destroy one card you control."

Before Master Peace could retreat back to Hannah's field, the pile of scrap metal that was once Dinomist Plesios exploded, and took the draconic warrior, as well as Hannah's confidence, down with it.

"Since you activated a card effect, I use the effect of **Ignis Heat**." - Hannah continued, trying her best to pretend she didn't just lose her strongest monster - "But since we're still in the Battle Phase, I'll have **Ignis Heat** attack **Dinomist Spinos**!"

"One step ahead of you again!" - Carla said - "I use the second effect of **Dinomists Howling** , tributing **Dinomist Spinos** to return **Ignis Heat** to the hand!"

Hannah tried to carry on as her whole field disintegrated around her.

"I activate the effect of **True Draco Heritage**!" - she said - "Since I sent all types of cards - Monsters, Spells and Traps - to the graveyard this turn, I can draw three cards."

"Are any of those good enough to save you?" - Carla asked.

"I set two cards, and end my turn." - Hannah ignored her opponent.

 **Turn 4 - Carla (LP - 2750 / Hand - 1 / Field - Spells/Traps:** Dinomist Charge, Dinomists Howling, **Pendulum Zones:** Dinomist Brachion **)**

"At this point, you've probably realized you're done for." - Carla said, but received no reply to her taunts - "Let's just get going. I activate the Scale 3 **Dinomist Ceratops**!"

"I activate **True King's Return**!" - Hannah responded to the activation - "And use its effect to revive **Master Peace** from the graveyard! And since it's now affected by everything, it gains ATK and DEF from **Dragonic Diagram**."

 **Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King:** DEF 2950 + 300 = 3250

"It doesn't matter!" - Carla dismissed Hannah's attempts to keep herself in the duel - "From the extra deck, I Pendulum Summon **Dinomist Spinos** , **Dinomist Plesios** , **Dinomist Stegosaur** (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1800) and **Dinomist Ankylos**! (WATER/Machine/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2000)"

Four fearsome dinosaurs rematerialized on Carla's field.

"I activate the effect of **Dinomist Spinos** , and tribute **Dinomist Ankylos** , allowing it to attack directly this turn. Then, thanks to the effect of **Dinomist Charge** , **Ankylos** is added back to my hand. Then, I'll activate **Spinos** ' other effect, tributing **Dinomist Stegosaur** to allow it to attack twice this turn."

Hannah looked on, safe with the knowledge that she had a backup plan.

" **Dinomist Spinos** , direct attack!" - Carla declared.

"I activate **True Draco Apocalypse** , and immediately activate its effect." - Hannah responded to the attack declaration - "I destroy **True King's Return** , and halve the ATK and DEF of all your monsters!"

 **Dinomist Spinos:** ATK 2500 / 2 = 1250

 **Dinomist Plesios:** ATK 1700 / 2 = 850

Spinos carried on with its attack, albeit weakened.

 **Hannah:** LP 3700 - 1250 = 2450

"Do you really think you've outsmarted me?" - Carla asked.

"What else can you do? Even if you attack me again, it won't be enough to defeat me." - Hannah said - "And now that all your monsters are weakened, you're done next turn."

"What else can I do? Did you forget the card you brought back to me?" - Carla smiled. Hannah's eyes widened at the realization.

"I activate **Limiter Removal** , doubling the ATK of all Machine-Type monsters!" - Carla declared.

 **Dinomist Spinos:** ATK 1250 x 2 = 2500

 **Dinomist Plesios:** ATK 850 x 2 = 1700

"Now, **Dinomist Spinos** , direct..."

"Stop!" - two voices declared at once. One of the people, Sara, turned around to face the other voice. Jonas was standing at the entrance of the room. Carla immediately forgot about the duel at hand, and started running towards him. Meanwhile, Hannah walked over to Sara, officially ending the duel as a no result.

"Why did you want to stop her?" - she asked.

"I said that nobody else dies today." - Sara replied - "I hate you from the bottom of my heart, but that doesn't make you an exception."

"Want a room, you two?" - Hannah asked, turning to face the room entrance. Jonas stood quietly in Carla's embrace for a couple more seconds, resting his head on her shoulder. After the moment passed, he started walking over to Daniel's lifeless body, and kneeled next to him. A couple of tears fell down onto his shirt, both because of the sight of his stricken friend, and the knowledge of what he was about to do. He got back up and looked around.

"Where's Ella?" - Jonas asked.

"She disappeared immediately after she defeated Daniel." - Sara replied.

"What do you mean she disappeared? How can someone just disappear?"

"I don't know, but there was a bright light once the duel finished, and once it cleared, both her and Ian were gone." - Hannah said.

"Wait, Ian?" - Jonas asked, as if he came to a sudden realization, then paused.

"What's that in your hand?" - Sara asked, noticing that Jonas was holding a rolled-up piece of paper.

"I think I know why they disappeared." - Jonas said, dodging Sara's question - "Because Ian played Igknights, and so did Daniel, but they're supposed to be a unique deck."

"Yeah, we figured that much."

"I think they might have been related." - Jonas continued - "Because we're not in an alternate dimension, we're in the future of our own world."

"Wait, slow down a bit." - Sara said, trying to process everything.

"So what you're saying is that Daniel was their dad?" - Hannah asked.

"We're eighty years ahead of when we left, so probably their grandfather or something." - Jonas continued - "So if he's now dead, they will never have been born."

"That sounds ridiculous." - Sara said, and Jonas started heading for the door.

"You come up with a better explanation for two people vanishing into thin air." - he said.

"But how do you know this is the future?" - Carla asked.

"Vector told me." - Jonas said, then continued, realizing that might not be evidence enough - "That, and I found some relatively new documents with a date that's about eighty years from when we left."

"Where are we going?" - Sara asked.

"To the roof." - Jonas answered.

"Why?"

"I'll get to that. Now, you asked me what I had in my hand. After Vector told me everything he knew, I didn't exactly trust him, so I had to go and check something." - Jonas said, waving the tube of paper around - "I managed to dig up Vector's registration form from when he first started attending the university that this place once used to be. They obviously just kept this as proof that he was part of the school. Now, it's some forty years old at this point, but you can still make out just about everything."

"Why are you telling us all this?" - Hannah asked, right as they were about to arrive at the roof of the building. Jonas unrolled the piece of paper in his hand and gave it to Carla.

"Vector's real name is Andreas Nielsen." - Jonas said - "Look at the names of his parents.

Carla skim-read most of the paper, filled with largely meaningless information, before finally getting to what Jonas wanted her to see.

"Ah, here we go." - she said as she found the names of Vector's parents, which were close to the bottom of the document. Her eyes widened, and she reread it a couple of times to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

"There's no way." - she muttered, then went quiet. Eager to find out what it said, Hannah grabbed the paper out of her hands with little to no resistance.

"Jonas Nielsen and Carla..." - Hannah started reading the names out loud, then paused at the realization - "It's you two."

"You do realize why I distrusted Vector at first, which is why I wanted to find this." - Jonas said, pointing at the paper.

"You still haven't explained why we're on the roof." - Sara said.

"You see, the first contact the Kings had with this world was Vector. He's the reason this entire world is in ruin, even if he didn't want it to turn out that way. But, if Vector never existed…"

"Stop talking." - Carla interrupted him.

"The only way to fix this is…" - Jonas insisted.

"I said, _stop talking._ " - Carla repeated her words, and Jonas decided to stay quiet this time - "If you're saying what I think you're saying…"

"It's the only way…" - Jonas said, taking a few steps towards the edge of the roof.

" _Shut up!_ " - Carla said quietly, barely managing to stop herself from crying. Jonas stopped talking, but continued creeping towards the end of the building. Carla ran towards him, and pulled him closer in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"You can't do this." - she said in a half-whisper - "You just showed me that we'll spend the rest of our lives together. You can't just show me the future, then take it away from me."

"You call this a future?" - Jonas asked - "Billions of people will die just because you can't let go of me."

Carla grabbed Jonas' hands and pulled him back to safety, and making them swap places. She walked backwards until she found herself right on the precipice.

"What are you doing!?" - Jonas pleaded.

"You're not so determined now that we've switched places, are you?" - Carla said.

"Stop, it has to be me!" - Jonas insisted.

"I'm his mother. Either of us dies, and none of this will ever happen, right?" - Carla said, one foot already over the edge, her voice wavering at the thought.

"You don't understand!" - Jonas said, slowly approaching Carla to try and stop her now that their roles switched - "I'm the fixed point in Vector's history. If the Kings hadn't chosen you, Hannah and Daniel, none of you would ever have met me."

"Then maybe they're not so bad after all." - Carla said. Jonas grabbed her hand, and slowly pulled her closer. Instead of switching places with her again, he hugged Carla, and they stood there for a few seconds, in each other's arms, and in complete silence. He signalled something to Sara over Carla's shoulder, then slowly let go of her. Once he managed to gather himself, he once again took a step towards his demise.

" _Stop!_ " - Carla begged, and tried to run back towards Jonas, but Sara grabbed her, leaving Carla helpless. She tried to break free from Sara's grip, which ultimately proved to be too strong for her.

"Once I do this, you won't even remember any of this ever happened." - Jonas said. Carla stopped trying to stop him from doing something he was determined to do, and instead collapsed onto her knees and started sobbing. Jonas approached her, lifted her chin, and looked straight into her blue, tear-filled eyes.

"Please, before I go…" - Jonas said, and he too was starting to tear up.

" _Stop saying that!_ " - Carla insisted, still holding out hope, even if she knew there was nothing she could do to change Jonas' mind.

"Before I go, there's one more thing I need to say. Something that I should've said much sooner." - he said - "You knew. I knew that you knew. But I never said it."

Jonas kissed Carla, and she once again embraced him. They sat there, and neither wanted to let go.

"I love you." - he whispered, and broke free of her grasp shortly after. He started walking towards the edge of the building one last time, and Carla made no attempts at trying to stop him. He didn't take his eyes off her the entire time. His entire body tensed up, knowing what was about to happen. As he saw one final tear roll down Carla's cheek, he spread his arms wide, tried to relax his body as best he could, and let gravity take care of the rest.


	34. The World After

**Chapter 34 - The World After**

"Her face was the first thing I saw when I appeared. Not entirely sure why, but I figured the timeline reset to the point right before we first met. As she walked down the hallway and towards me, I looked into her bright blue eyes, and just for a moment, thought I survived the fall. Or at least I hoped. But it was not to be. I tried talking to her, but she seemed to ignore me. It didn't take long at all for me to realize that she couldn't hear me or see me, and neither could anyone else. I was a mind without a body, walking around, unnoticed by everyone. It took me a few days to come to terms with what happened, and in the meantime, I discovered that I was able to influence the world in a couple of ways. Mostly it's just things like rustling the leaves, or making the doors of your house squeak. Minor things. But I stopped doing that, as it freaked people out somewhat. I didn't want them to believe that they are being followed around by ghosts. Because there are no ghosts. There is only me."

* * *

"It's been a couple of years now since I appeared in this timeline. I still don't really know why, or how, it happened, but my best guess is that the universe tried to repair the hole that I left behind, but couldn't fix it entirely, meaning I was left without a body to reside in. Whatever happened, I've grown used to it by now. I've been passing the time by just walking about, not doing much of anything, and occasionally checking up on Carla to see how she's getting along. Recently, I've been paying more attention to her, since I couldn't help but notice that something wasn't right. She has barely talked to anyone in the last couple of weeks, save for the occasional half-hearted small talk with her parents. Last night, I listened to her sob into a pillow for what seemed like a few hours, before she finally cried herself to sleep. It got hard to bear, but I stuck around. I felt obligated to stay by her side, even if she didn't even know I was there."

* * *

"Weeks and months passed by, and the situation wasn't getting any better. I had no idea what caused her to be like this, but I assumed it was because she felt alone. She always did have trouble making friends. Hell, our relationship started off as nothing more than a fortunate accident. Listening to her weep through so many lonely nights honestly made me consider if I made the right choice. Was it worth making one innocent girl miserable to save the world? The answer seems obvious. The answer _is_ obvious. But sometimes, I begin doubting my decision. She needs someone by her side, but nobody is there. It's strange, though, because I don't remember her ever being like this. Maybe she was just happier with me around. Maybe she wasn't, and I just never noticed. Maybe I wasn't the friend I thought I was."

* * *

"I began wondering if I could ever pass away, or if I was forever stuck as a spirit. My first thought is that I might exist until the point where I should've been eighteen, and then just fade away. I might be stuck like this forever, or I could disappear at any moment and not even realize it. Whenever it does happen, I hope it isn't soon. I cannot leave her. Not yet. I do not want to leave before I know she's living the life she truly deserves. Call me selfish, because I am, but I need to be sure that my saving the world doesn't mean that someone I love has to live a life of misery. I couldn't bear living with that knowledge. Because of this, I'll stick around, for better of for worse. Not that I have much of a say in the matter."

* * *

"I overheard Carla's parents talking about moving to a different city a couple of days ago. They brought it up with her, and it's probably the most excited I've seen her in months. It's like she wants to get away as soon as possible. She has no connections to the city she's lived in her entire life. I've been by her side for a few years now, and to tell you the truth, she seems to feel utmost contempt towards this city and everyone she's met in it. I don't understand where these feelings came from, and I probably never will. But it's because of this hatred that a change of scenery will probably do wonders for her. It certainly did wonders for me after I lost her. Apart from their impending move, there's something else that's seemingly improved her mood recently. She's taken up dueling. I don't know if someone gave her the idea, or if it just kind of happened, but I do know that she seems happier now. Maybe she genuinely enjoys it, or maybe it's just a distraction. Time will tell."

* * *

"It's been almost a month since her family moved to Neo Ragusa. She didn't have much time to adjust to the change before a new school year started, but she looks at home now. And speaking of a new school year, I stumbled upon a few familiar faces. Daniel arrived to school early, as he usually does, but someone beat him to the punch this time. Carla got up an hour early, maybe out of excitement, maybe because she had trouble sleeping. Whatever the reason behind it is, I'm glad it happened. She and Daniel really hit it off, it was refreshing to see. What's more, it seemed like Carla was trying to compensate for the years she spent being a shut-in, because you couldn't stop her from talking once she got going. It was wonderful. She actually changed seats, just so they could keep talking after class started, much to the teacher's dismay. Daniel didn't seem to mind either, as Marco was once again late, so he needed someone to talk to, or else he'd get bored out of his skull."

* * *

"Later that month, Carla was randomly chosen to take part in the school's feature match. I guess it never occurred to me before now, but as the Kings ceased to exist, so did the Dracoslayers, as well as their respective decks. Because of this, the previous Dracoslayer holders played entirely different decks. I was quite looking forward to seeing Carla play, but whoever her opponent was supposed to be didn't show. Then, instead of trying to find a different opponent, the school just called off the duel for the day. Daniel even tried to volunteer, but they wouldn't budge, much to everyone's disappointment, especially Carla's. Daniel, ever-persistent, wasn't just going to give up on dueling Carla, so they decided to have a match after school."

* * *

"Fire Fists. I had almost forgotten about them, so I was all the more surprised when I found out she was playing them. I've occasionally entertained the romantic idea that she's playing that deck in my memory, as cliché as it is. Obviously, there is no way that's true, because she has no memory of me. She probably just picked the deck out at random, or maybe because she read the cards and figured they'd be fun to play. Regardless, it still made me immeasurably happy when I saw her Synchro Summon Horse Prince for the first time, though it quickly became obvious that she needed to get used to the deck, because she was completely overwhelmed by Daniel's Shiranuis. Not that that was going to stop her from playing a couple more matches before she had to go home. And for the first time in years, I could say with certainty that things were looking up for her."

* * *

"Later that week, I tried to see if I could find Hannah and find out what she's been up to, but she's nowhere to be found. I'd have to admit that, as horrible as it might sound, that I completely forgot about her. Interestingly, I wasn't the only one. While jumping between classrooms, I never heard her name mentioned once, and on top of that, she hadn't turned up to school at all since it started. Ever since I noticed this, I tried to pay more attention to the faces I see while wandering through the city in an attempt to find her, but to no avail. She's completely unaccounted for. At the end of the day, I decided not to worry too much about it. Carla was a completely different person to the one I knew, so it's not at all out of the question that my removal from history, as minor a change as it is, lead Hannah to a different path in life, one that would mean she never meets Carla or Daniel. I will probably never know what happened to her, but I do hope that she is happy, wherever she is."

* * *

"I've discovered that I can feel pain. This wasn't the first time something happened to me, but previously I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But at this point, I'm sure that there's something more to me than just floating memories. It's like I have some sort of body, but it just isn't fully materialized. Usually I pay attention to the things I do, even though I thought I couldn't get hurt. I guess it's just human instinct. However, the other day, while I was aimlessly walking around the city, I got hit by a car. Except not really. The car drove straight through me, but it still felt like it hit me. _I felt pain._ After that, I thought I was done for. Any human would be. But of course, I'm not human, or anything for that matter. The pain was immense, and it genuinely felt like my memories, and by extension myself, were fading away for a couple of hours, but it went away pretty quickly. However, this discovery has provided me with a potential way to leave this world, if ever I desire to do so. I'm almost certain that, if I felt intense enough pain, I would cease to exist entirely. I kept that in the back of my mind. But, as time went on, it became more and more tiring to watch people walk by as if I wasn't there, just leading their lives with no memory of me. I knew this when I went to leap off that university building. I knew that, by sacrificing myself, I would provide everyone else with a peaceful existence, albeit one where I don't exist even as a passing memory. I was aware of all of that. It still doesn't hurt any less. And as I grew tired, the thought of leaving crept to the front of my mind. Some days I climbed to the top of the highest buildings. Every time, without fail, I changed my mind whilst looking over the edge. Why? I would like to say it's because I'm not brave enough to do it, except I already did once. At the end of the day, I think the reason is simple. I don't want to leave her. Not yet. I want to stick around for a bit longer to make certain that her life is on the right track. To make sure that she lives the life that I never got. And not only her, but Daniel and Marco too. Once I know that they are content with their lives, however they turn out and wherever they will lead them, only then will I also be content to leave."


End file.
